


Aurora

by Hino_Hime



Series: New Dawn [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Blood Drinking, F/M, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Gunshot Wounds, Love, Love at First Sight, Monster and Mana, Rituals, Romance, Soul Bond, Vampire!Shiro, just a bit of angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-18 23:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17590046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino_Hime/pseuds/Hino_Hime
Summary: In a world where monsters and humans are separated by mutual ignorance, a girl stumbles onto a clearing under a full moon, which changes her life forever.She meets a boy with the night in his eyes and a promise on his lips while the red thread is about to bind them together or make their worlds break.





	1. The Veil (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dianasaurus94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dianasaurus94/gifts).



The creatures lingering in the night envied the creatures who were able to walk under the bright sunlight, never afraid to lose what they held most dear. Demonized by those who called themselves humans, the monsters retreated into their own world, behind the veil of ignorance.

Since the treaty ended the war decades ago, mankind was turning a blind eye to the monsters and their needs, claiming everything the light touched for themselves. The arguments never changed.

_ The monsters destroyed our homes! They took our children! They burned down our land! _

And the monsters, who had no one who fought for them, could only retreat further and further into the night. They were forced to roam the darkness and find places beyond the visible to even have a place to live.

Over time, the existence of vampires, werewolves, mermaids and the like became nothing but stories, passed down from one generation to the next. Only a few communities of humans still believed in them, remembering the war and the monsters who were once a living part on the world‘s surface.

Each of those communities had been put under the protection of one of the fractions, as a way of thanking those small settlements. It was a mutual agreement, beneficial to both sides. The humans could sleep in peace, not fearing the creatures of the night - the Underlings of Hades who refused to accept the treaty, feasting on humans to show their superiority and spread fear - while the monsters had a place to live in the realm of light. However, not every community was happy about the monsters in their midst, but even the hardest critics could not deny that nothing bad had ever befallen them since they had appeared.

Yet, the whole presence of the night creatures in the human world, however small it might’ve been, caused great disturbance in the realm of monsters. There were fights between the fractions about who was controlling how many humans and how this played into their own hierarchy.

While the ghosts and werefolk were happy that even the smallest village welcomed them with open arms, the shapeshifters especially were not too happy that they had to stoop so low and protect a handful of humans, while the vampires had dozens of settlements under their wings.

„The decision was made by the council in a joined vote we’ve all been part of“, the head of the House of Vlad said calmly.

„But you know just as much as I do, that my clan had been against it“, the shapeshifter snarled, his skin turning into a dark red mask of pure anger.

„The decision had been reached because a majority had voted in favour of it“, the vampire replied, turning away. „It is the best solution we have, as our situation stands right now.“

With this the discussion was over, the vampire turning into a mere shadow, disappearing into the night. For the shapeshifter however, the fight was far from over.


	2. Cloverleaf

„Thank you, [Y/N]! What would I do without you?“ the elderly woman smiled.

„My pleasure, Ms. Emilia!“ the girl replied, a shy grin on her face.

It took her awhile to say her goodbyes to the lady who seemingly could not find enough words to thank her for carrying her groceries back to her house. Or any other deed she’d done to help her out.   
Once the girl was on her way, she danced through the street, greeting her neighbors left and right. In her small village almost everyone knew each other, which made the dark figure in the middle of the marketplace even more apparent. While it was true that they had a lot of villagers passing through on their way to the port or the capital, something about this figure made her nervous.

[Y/N] slowed her steps, trying to assess the situation.

A small group had gathered around the dark tall man, the women cooing, the men mesmerized by his deep voice and long beard.

The moment the girl was only a few feet away from him, the man sharply turned his head, staring her down.

Something in his gaze sent shivers down her spine and made her stop dead in her tracks.

Not even his gentle tone could make her shake this feeling, „I am sorry, M‘Lady, but may I ask you a question?“

This seemed like an odd request given that he was surrounded by half the marketplace. Something was not right, but she could not pinpoint it down which only left her to agree.

„You see, I am a traveler and I as I am passing through the lands, I offer my humble service in exchange for information“, the smile on his face was meant to set the girl at ease, but it was doing the exact opposite.

„What kind of service do you offer, kind Sir?“

The man stepped away from the crowd and walked over to her, stopping only a few feet away, an evil glimmer in his eyes, „My name is Dr. Adrian Wolf. I am a vampire hunter.“

[Y/N] clenched her fists in an effort to not let the distaste show on her face, „The vampires are the one protecting our village against the evil creatures of the night. We are only one of many settlements under their wings. And we’ve never encountered any problems with our protectors.“

„That’s what I’ve heard. But I am following a rumor that one vampire forfeits the treaty, roams the land and feasts on humans. This is the one I am looking for“, Dr. Wolf lowered his voice as if he was only letting her in. „And this brings me to the information I seek. Have you heard or witnessed any unnatural events around the area?“

The girl paused for a moment.   
It was true that a few days ago a farmer reported that his cow had died of blood-loss, and another talked about strange noises, but for some reason, she refused to give this information. It appeared to be too much of a staged play - the unusual events and the appearance of a vampire hunter - to be real. Furthermore, why would the vampire who supposedly feasted on humans feed on a mere cow?

Still, she kept a mask of perfect composure when she answered, „I am very sorry but I do not know of anything that could be helpful to your quest, Dr. Wolf. I wish I could provide you with the information you seek, but I am just a carpenter‘s daughter, you see?“

The man mumbled something under his breath before he sharply turned and walked away, leaving the girl and the crowd behind, as if he had never been there.

  
  


The moon was full, shining brightly onto the village, the streets illuminated as if it was noon, the stars barely visible against the black sky. The air was still cold, a breeze letting the trees sway softly, carrying the first indications of summer through the village. The sun had hardly set and yet almost the entire population seemed to be in their beds already.

The girl, however, was wide awake, sitting in her bed, looking out of the window, still unsure what to do. The whole encounter at the marketplace left her with a weird lingering feeling. Something was wrong, she was certain of it.

For one, if a vampire was rampaging through the countryside, why did no one ever mentioned it? No one had ever seen a vampire, let alone come across a bloodthirsty one.

But what made the situation even stranger was the presence of a vampire hunter in itself. From what she had learned, the profession was no longer needed since the treaty has been signed.

„There are just too many things falling into place too perfectly…“, she mumbled and buried her face in her hands.

Still, why was she not able to sleep?

Was she worried about Dr. Wolf?

Most certainly not. If he really was a vampire hunter then he knew exactly what he was doing. Even if he wasn‘t and he would be killed by the monster, she couldn’t find it in herself to feel sorry.

Was she afraid that there really was a vampire coming for humans?

No, this wasn’t it either.

So what was it that prevented her from falling asleep?

[Y/N] looked into the clear darkening sky when the realization hit her.

She was worried for the vampire that was keeping them safe.

Dr. Wolf may confuse them with the one he is looking for. The village could be left unprotected if that was about to happen. Or, even worse, it could violate the treaty, leading to another war between monsters and humans.

Biting her lower lip, the girl looked at her hands, those tiny hands, on top of her blanket. Even with this knowledge, what could she do to prevent a potential catastrophe?

She had no idea where to look for the vampire hunter or how to begin a search for the vampire to warn them. They never showed themselves to the humans. As she started to work through different plans she suddenly stopped and smiled. To a normal soul the idea of searching for a monster would raise the question of how to prevent it from attacking her at once. But this just crossed her mind, way after she’d made the decision to leave the house at all.

„Father‘s right when he says I am a little crazy…“, she smiled softly before she got up and started to get dressed.

While she put her trousers on she came up with the idea to ask at the local inn if they knew anything about the traveler. Given the size of the village, the chances that someone knew about the man would be highest there. If that would fail she could still leave for the forest, going into the direction of a large mansion to the south. It’s been abandoned for generations, which might been a hint of vampire presence.

As quietly as she could she left her room and walked downstairs where she bumped into her mother, who had been sitting at the table, as if she knew her daughter would come.

A single candle illuminated the gentle face of the woman, who just looked her daughter up and down, not a single word leaving her lips.

The girl on the other hand stood there, defeated, unable to think of a white lie of why she was dressed in her working-gear and not her nightgown.

Instead, she decided to tell the truth, „Mother, I have to go and look for the vampire hunter. Something was very strange about him. I fear for the vampires who protect us.“

[Y/N] prepared herself for an argument, ready to just run out the front door if need be. But instead, her mother just got up, walked over to one of the shelves and took a wooden box into her hands which she put on the table, gesturing her daughter to go ahead and open it.

When the girl did not move, the elderly woman smiled, „This is our family heirloom, our treasure if you will. It had been passed down from your father’s side for generations. Back, when monsters still roamed the lands, we might’ve been in need. But thankfully, it was just a mere decoration for the past years. Still, I am certain that it will be useful to you.“

With these words, the mother opened the box and revealed a knife with a black handle and a silver blade, beautifully decorated.

„This is… Mother, why do we own a silver blade?“ the girl looked at her mother with big round eyes, still not able to understand what was going on.

Her daughter‘s reaction brought an amused grin to her face, „I will gladly answer all your question in the morrow, but for now I think you should make haste and be on your way.“

It took [Y/N] a few moments to comprehend what her mother was saying. Instead of yelling at her, trying to keep her at their home‘s safety, she was encouraging her to do what she felt was right.

Tears were forming in her eyes as she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around her mother, hugging her close. As the girl buried her face into her mother’s neck, she contemplated for a moment to press for answers of how such a valuable object had found its way into their family - it was clear as day that this blade had been used by a vampire hunter after all - or why her mother seemed to know exactly where she was headed.   
But instead, she placed a kiss on her mother’s cheek, took the knife and was on her way.   
  
  
  
It’s been a few nights since he walked through the woods in the east of his home. The area he had to keep safe had grown over the last months, the humans starting to settle along the river, connecting points too far to see. It made him happy to see them flourish, even if their ancestors were responsible for the whole mess he and the other monsters found themselves in.   
  
A rustling noise made him stop in his tracks and sharply turn his head. An eerie feeling had been following for hours now, as if someone was trying to reach out, to find him. It wasn’t the most pleasing sensation to have.   
Baring his sharp teeth he turned himself into a shadow, slowly creeping into the direction the noise had come from. It sounded closer now, causing him to regain his shape and run towards its source, his fangs ready to bite. Yet, he only encountered a deer, running as fast as it could, away from the creature of the night.   
  
This made him laugh, “Takashi Shirogane, you can’t even hunt down a deer!”   
  
Yet his joy died out almost instantly when he recalled what he had overheard yesterday at the inn. Someone was blaming his kin for the death of cattle and even homicide just a few settlements away. He knew that these were but rumors, but something still made him shiver.   
There was a presence in these woods he did not wish to encounter.   
  
With a heavy sigh he continued his patrol, hoping that these dark whispers would stay as amorphous as they should be.   
  
  
  
He followed the same routine, walked roughly along the same pattern. Not because he didn’t know any other way, but because over the past years, this has proven to be the best way to cover a big area within the minimum amount of time. It made it easier for him to focus on strange noises or an abnormal scent. It made this whole endeavour a lot more fun.   
  
Still, as much as he loved the nightly hours, the real joy came from walking through the village, unnoticed, during dawn or dusk, on a rainy or gloomy day. The sun was bearable during those hours and he could participate in the lives of humans. At least in some ways. His views on them differed from most of his kin. He did not see them as cattle or stupid, quite the contrary.   
Humans had a unique quality he longed to see for it seemed to be lacking in most monsters: an unyielding will.   
They’ve built ships to cross the sea and balloons to rise to the heavens.   
They simply had no understanding of their limits.   
  
“And yet they participated in a war that killed most of them…”, the vampire mumbled as he briefly stopped, close the eastern gate of the village. “But so did we monsters… I wonder, are we really so different?”   
  
His gaze drifted over the trees, the wind carrying the faint scent of something delicious, which made him turn even more until his eyes rested on the small church just a few feet away. It had been established way before the war and had been abandoned ever since. Still, it seemed to be taken care of, the white walls in perfect condition.   
  
“Maybe, instead of asking stupid questions, you should pay attention to your surroundings”, a deep voice called, making the vampire jump.   
  
He didn’t even react to the insult, simply too baffled that someone was able to sneak up without him noticing, “Show yourself.”   
  
A dark figure stepped out of the shadows, resembling a tall human with a dark beard and even darker voice, “Never seen a vampire scared before!”   
  
Inhaling deeply, the vampire froze. That scent - it wasn’t human. What was worse: He could not place it. Whatever this creature was, it knew how to hide it from him.   
But why?   
  
“Are you the monster roaming my lands, scaring my subjects?”   
  
The man laughed, “I have no need to limit myself to such petty actions. I am better than that.”   
  
And just like that, the creature vanished with an explosive sound, making the vampire turn. He felt the hair at the back of his neck standing up as danger approached yet he could not see anything. The moment he felt the ground below him move, revealing a net, it was already too late.   
Within seconds the vampire was trapped in a web of silver-threads, burning into his skin. Carefully, he tried to wrap his cape around himself like a cocoon, covering his face and neck.   
Whoever this creature was, they knew he was coming this way. They knew he was on patrol. Could it be the presence he had felt the whole night?   
  
Even through his cape, the silver burned its way through tissue, making him hiss. Even if he could prevent the threads from cutting him to pieces, the sun, about to rise in only a few hours, would kill him for sure.   
There was hardly anything he could do but to wait for his death.   
  
  
  
She inhaled sharply as she watched the scene unfold.   
The girl had been following Dr. Wolf for the last hour, after she had spotted him on the mainstreet, casually walking towards the gate to leave the city. Despite her fear of being spotted, she decided to risk it and hid in the shadows as the tall man made his way out of the village and into the forest, towards the abandoned church. From the way he moved, he must’ve been here a couple of times before. Not once did he stop to look around or seemed to hesitate of where to go.   
What was going on?   
  
The feeling of something terrible just around the corner became stronger with each step. [Y/N] tried to remember the fastest way back to the village, in case she needed to make a run for it. Even the fact that he seemed to be unaware of her presence made her uncomfortable.   
  
It got even worse as she watched Dr. Wolf check the net at a seemingly random place in front of the holy gates in the middle of the forest. Her mind was racing, forging a plan to cut the threads the moment the vampire hunter would leave, when she felt the air around her getting colder, making her shiver. The vampire hunter was still there, his back turned to her. So he still hadn’t notice her which meant that the shifting atmosphere wasn’t his doing. At least she hoped that’s what it meant.   
  
“About time you show up…”, the girl heard Dr. Wolf mumble amused before he vanished into thin air, making her retreat even further into the shadows.   
  
She reached for the knife, ready to leash out at anyone who would approach her. She was ready for anything to happen. Still, when she watched another man approach and stop in the middle of the small clearing, just on top of the trap, every last ounce of energy left her. There was no mistaking him.   
Standing there, in the bright moonlight stood a vampire. His eyes looked over the trees until they rested on the church. From where she stood she could not make out the expression the monster was wearing but the way he moved and seemed to have all the time in the world made her realize that this was certainly not the vampire, Dr. Wolf was looking for. The moment she decided to show herself, to warn the vampire, he already turned and, seconds later, was trapped in his silvery grave.   
  
Dr. Wolf shifted in and out of focus, laughing deeply as if he had done the world a great service, before he stepped up to the hissing vampire, “I thought you vampires were supposed to be the strongest of us all. But just by watching you for a few weeks I knew exactly where you would go… Isn’t it sad?”   
  
There was no response from the ever moving vampire, hiding under his cape in a desperate attempt to ease the pain.   
  
This seemed to please the vampire hunter, “I will leave you to your last dance. It was a pleasure to meet you…”   
  
And just like that, he was gone.   
Not knowing how much time she had, [Y/N] leaped out of the shadows and ran over to the net, her knife in her hand. Her heart was hammering hard against her chest as she looked up, thankful for the bright full moon.   
  
“Sir… I will try to cut the threads but for that I have to ask you to stay still for a moment so I won’t hurt you…”, her voice was shaking almost as much as her hand.   
  
At first, the vampire seemed to ignore her, but within moments he ceased any movements, giving her just enough time to cut enough threads for the whole net to come undone. There was only one thing she had not thought about beforehand...   
Since she was standing below the vampire, it was bound to happen that, once the net’s structure had been damaged, he would just fall down, making both of them crash to the ground.   
  
The impact made her lose the grip of the knife and for a split-second she saw more stars than ever before. This only lasted for a mere moment, before she felt the vampire’s body shift on top of her, releasing her from its weight.   
Almost immediately, she reached for her knife while she started to move away from the monster.   
Just because he had appeared harmless it didn’t mean that he was really going to leave her alone. Maybe he was hungry?   
  
Pointing her knife directly at his chest, she breathed deeply, ready to shoot a witty remark at him. But every last word caught in her throat when she looked over his gentle face. Now, up close, she was able to see his dark crimson eyes, perfect skin and dark wild hair as well as a curious look on his face.   
He was just so beautiful in the bright moonlight, her heart starting to race.   
It was surreal.   
  
She felt something klick...   
  
“You can put your knife down. I do not plan on eating you”, his voice was calm, the smile he showed her making it impossible for her to breathe.   
  
_ I know you... _   
  
The girl did not understand what was going on or why her mind seemed to be all over the place, but she did as she was told, putting the knife back into its shaft.   
Shaking her head she tried to sort through her thoughts. Surely this must be the vampire’s influence. Like a siren’s song they tried to lure their prey in.   
  
“I know you…”, [Y/N] breathed silently before she was even able to stop herself.   
  
This made the vampire tilt his head to one side, “How so?”   
  
“There is a figure… always wearing a dark coat, a big hood covering his face completely which seems to only appear when the sun is not too bright yet it’s none of our residents…”, she swallowed hard, trying not to feel too embarrassed by her stupid reasoning.   
  
“Your village is the only one between the capital and the port so I guess there would be a lot of travellers.”   
  
“I know. But no one has your smile”, the moment the words were out she regretted them, biting her lower lip, lowering her head. “I apologize for my boldness, Sir.”   
  
For a moment nothing moved, no sound was to be heard until the vampire began to laugh, making the girl look up at him, confusion all over her face.   
As she watched him slowly calm down again, she realized that she should be afraid. That she should not listen to anything the vampire said but instead stand up and run home, back to safety. But for reasons unknown to her, she did not feel any of this at all. Quite the contrary, she felt safe.   
  
As if the vampire could read her mind, he asked, “How come you are not running away, screaming?”   
  
“I don’t really know”, she admitted. “But I guess if you’d wanted to eat me, you would’ve already done that at least a dozen times… Sir.”   
  
“I like your way of reasoning.”   
  
“Thank you, Sir.”   
  
The vampire groaned, “Where are my manners… Let me introduce myself. I am Takashi Shirogane, head of the House of Vlad.”   
  
Her eyes grew big. This was not just any vampire but the strongest of them all. He could easily snatch her away, never to be heard of again. And still, she felt no threat to her life.   
  
“I am honored, Sir. My name is [Y/N][L/N], I am a carpenter’s daughter from the village. At your service.”   
  
Just as the vampire opened his mouth to say something more, another explosive sound destroyed the tranquility, making the two of them jump to their feet. Frantically scanning the clearing, neither of them spotted the tall man until it was almost too late.   
A shot rang, the bullet scrapping the girl’s cheek, leaving a trail of blood. Too shocked to move she just gaped at Dr. Wolf, standing a few feet away, a gun in his hand.   
  
“Why is it, that humans always destroy my plans? Why do you always have to interfere?” more than anything, he seemed annoyed.   
  
The girl made a step forward, ready to argue with the vampire hunter, when the vampire stopped her, “Stay behind me. I have a bad feeling about this.”   
  
“Oh, isn’t this cute?! Do you want to protect your meal? Your slave? What is it going to be?” Dr. Wolf smirked, “It’s the same to me. You won’t enjoy either for you will die here tonight.”   
  
Without losing another second, [Y/N] took a hold of the vampire’s shoulders and pulled him to the ground at the exact same moment the vampire hunter shot. The bullet, meant to go straight through the heart, only dug deep into the vampire’s right arm, making him groan deeply.   
The girl looked at his face, contracted in pain.   
What should she do? Where should she go from there?   
  
She left her home in order to prevent a tragedy, yet it seemed that the heavens were against her. What could she do against a vampire hunter with a loaded gun and an injured vampire? Surely the bullet was sacred or made from silver itself. Otherwise the vampire would be already up on his feet again.   
  
“Dr. Wolf, this is a misunderstanding…”, she tried, trying to reason with him. “This vampire is not the one you seek. He is one of those protecting us!”   
  
This made the man shot her an ugly grin, telling her, that there was no rhyme or reason behind his actions - that her feelings were indeed correct and something was clearly wrong here.   
  
“I don’t care who he is. Or who you are. Both of you need to die. That’s just how it is”, did she imagine it or did his skin turn slightly purple?   
  
That’s when she heard the vampire whisper her name, making her look at him, “He is not… who you think he is.”   
  
There was a glassy shine to his eyes, his skin no longer cool. The bullet must still be in his arm, causing him a great deal of discomfort and pain.   
Who had ever heard of a story, where the human protected the monster?   
  
The girl stood up, looking Dr. Wolf in the eye. She was scared. She feared for her life and for her family’s and for the vampire next to her. There was a high chance that she would not make it out of there alive. But for some reason, not to try was by far the worse outcome to her.   
With a movement faster than anyone had ever anticipated, she threw her knife, aiming for the head. The vampire hunter was barely able to dodge the blade, a deep cut appearing all the way from the nose across the cheek to his ear. He screamed as if his whole body was on fire, piercing the night.   
  
Not losing a precious moment, the girl helped the vampire to get on his feet and as fast as they could, they started to make their way through the forest, staying in the shadows. Neither of them was sure how they were able to make it to the vampire’s mansion alive and without being ambushed again. The moment the heavy doors closed behind them, they both collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.   
[Y/N] could feel fatigue trying to drown her, but she fought against it, knowing that she had to tend to the arm first.   
Carefully she gestured the vampire to lean against the wall while she ripped the sleeve off, revealing the wound.   
  
“This is bad…”, she whispered, trying not to faint.   
  
The tissue around the impact was pitch-black, dark veins spreading up and down, covering the whole arm already. Pus was dripping out of the hole along with something that looked like thick dark blood. It was clear that the body was trying to repair the damaged tissue, but due to the characteristics of silver, it was repelled, causing the body to damage itself more in the process.   
If they would not find a way soon, the vampire would be dead before sunrise.   
  
Yet she could only stare at the wound, tears forming in her eyes as she realized that no medical knowledge she might’ve had would ever be enough to rescue him. This feeling of defeat made her angry and, above all, sad.   
Clenching her fists, her jaw set, she started to go through everything she knew about bullet-wounds in general, trying to combine it with the little she knew about vampires.   
That was when she felt a gentle touch on her cheek, making her turn. Red eyes looked at her, concern shining through.   
  
The girl tried to find the words to convey that she would find a way. That everything would be okay. Words her parents had always used when she was sick or hurt and she thought the world had come to an end.   
But there was nothing to make this any easier. And the vampire knew.   
  
  
  
The removal of the arm was even worse than she had ever imagined it would be. There was so much blood everywhere yet the vampire seemed to be rather unfazed by the saw working its way through the damaged skin and bone. Once the wound had been closed he even seemed to be relieved.   
The girl on the other hand, sitting next to him on the floor, couldn’t stop staring at the stump, barely covered by the ruined cape.   
She’d set out to prevent a tragedy, and surely this was nothing compared to an all-out war. Then why was she feeling as if she had failed?   
  
She hadn’t noticed that the tears had started to fall until she felt the vampire’s touch again. This time she leaned into it, feeling the cold skin on her warm cheek.   
The sun was about to rise and she should be on her way home before her parents would start worrying about her. And yet she moved a little closer, leaned against the vampire’s unhurt shoulder and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws confetti*  
> Welcome, dearest readers, to this little drabble that turned out to be way bigger than I would have ever imagined... It started off as a nice little thing after I postet a short Halloween-story (which I am going to rework parallel to uploading chapters here) and now it is going to be uploaded weekly for the upcoming month... Crazy!  
> And all just because a certain someone was always there and cheering me on... You know who you are <3
> 
> I sure hope you will enjoy this story - I had a blast to put together a world, loosely inspired by the Monster and Mana Episode of the show, and to expand it a good deal.  
> As always, I'd be happy to hear from you, know what you think and which words you may use to curse me ;)  
> Have a wonderful week! <3


	3. Submission

The moment he had stepped onto the small clearing and a sweet smell hit him, he knew that he had lost. Not because of the creature posing as human but because of the girl who came to his rescue.   
All creatures of the night are known to have very fine noses - the werecat beating everyone at it - which was necessary for their survival. Yet it seemed that it would now bring about his own downfall. Her scent was enveloping him the moment she manifested out of the forest’s shadows and came to cut him out of the net. It was hard to focus enough not to leap at her, all his vampire-instincts screaming at him to devour this delicious human.   
  
This had never happened before.   
  
The girl did not seem to be afraid of him, calling him off with the knife she’d been carrying. Ready to fight him.   
Their eyes met and it felt like everything shifted into focus, his thirst subsiding to an almost tolerable degree.   
What was that?   
  
She spoke, her voice betraying her brave demeanor, recalling that she’d seen him before. This made him laugh.   
Not because he thought her reasoning wrong, but because the thing that gave him away was something no one ever mentioned when talking about vampires.   
  
_ Your smile. _   
  
As her own lips curled up, he felt his blood rushing through his veins. Still, he had no time to contemplate what it meant, when the creature calling itself Dr. Wolf reappeared, trying to finish his task of killing the vampire.   
It should’ve been his time to protect the human, a subject of his, but it was the other way round. The girl prevented him from being shot, causing a wound on her cheek. The trail of blood tainting her fair skin made his head spin. Not even the dire situation could prevent his fangs to glister with venom, ready to strike.   
It was the silver bullet that sealed the deal, making it impossible for him to act according to his instincts. This was what saved her in the long run.   
  
The vampire struggled to come up with a plan to safe the human girl, but his right arm was on fire, pain shooting up his entire body, paralysing him.   
Maybe that’s how it would end for him. He only wished that the human would survive…   
  
Yet again, she had other plans. Rising to her feet, she threw her knife in a desperate attempt to distract the creature. The moment the silvery blade came in contact with skin, screams ringing through the night, she was already at his side again, helping him up, half carrying him into the shadows. How she was so strong was beyond him.   
Even when she examined his wound, her face turning even paler, she did not make a run for it. Instead she was the one to get rid of the arm, tears mixing with the dried blood on her cheek.   
  
The girl asked time and again if he needed anything to ease the pain, but he refused. Compared to the venomous effects of silver, the saw was nothing. Of course, it would be a lie to say that it wasn’t hurting or, at any point, easy. Just because he was a creature of the night didn’t mean he was immune to pain.   
But he couldn’t help himself, he just relished in her presence, her fragrance, her voice promising another day.   
  
Now she had fallen asleep, her head on his shoulder as if she did that every day. The vampire had no idea whether she was generally unafraid of him or if she was just stupid enough to trust him, based on the events of one night. Whichever reason it might be, he felt grateful that she was still there.   
For some reason it felt right.   
Even if it was awfully wrong.   
  
  
  
Her head was spinning as she looked around the room, trying to piece together what had happened before she’d fallen asleep. Images started to flood her mind. Memories of moonlight, blood and a smile…   
The girl jumped to her feet at once, nausea bringing her to her knees instantly.   
Where was she?   
This was not the mansion.   
What happened?   
  
Slowly the blurry vision cleared and she recognized her room just as she had left it the night before. There was only one way of how this was possible.   
Just as she was rising up again, the door to her room opened, her mother popping her head in, telling her that breakfast was ready. [Y/N] could only gape at her, not able to wrap her head around the recent events.   
  
“I will be down in a moment…”, she said absently.   
  
Yet, instead of leaving her mother closed the door behind her and walked over to her daughter, “You might want to clean this, or father will notice.”   
  
The girl gently touched the scrap on her cheek, the only reminder that this really had happened. She came face to face with a monster. And survived.   
  
“Mother, tell me. Why did our family had a vampire hunter’s weapon?” she knew that there was hardly time to answer all of her questions, but she couldn’t let this precious moment pass.   
  
Her mother didn’t respond straight away but walked over to her closet and picked a fresh pair of trousers and a blouse, before she went ahead and helped her daughter change, the clothes from last night still full of mud, grass and maybe even blood.   
  
“I’m amazed my clever daughter hadn’t figured it out by herself yet”, her voice was warm.   
  
Of course the girl had her own theories, but it sounded too far fetched to be even remotely true, “Father’s ancestors were vampire hunters, were they not?”   
  
The smile on her mother’s face gave her the affirmation she sought, “That is indeed correct. But let me tell you why our family might be a little different from others of the same heritage.”   
  
This made [Y/N] turn, confusion on her face, only growing as her mother began to tell her story.   
  
“Decades ago, way before the war, there was a small tribe of vampires which refused to feast on humans, which caused them to be outcasts. They were forced to hide from both, monsters and humans. Only ever hunting wild animals they wandered across the land until one fateful night, they came too close to a human settlement. One of the tribe, a young woman, too curious for her own good, walked the streets of that village, marvelling in human activities, their everyday life a dream come true for her. She did not go near any human or cattle, but one malicious villager captured her to impress the local hunter family. Nothing could be better to test their youngest’ will to become one of them, then to let him kill a captured, starving vampire. Yet he couldn’t do it. The moment they’ve met their whole world shifted. It was as if everything came back into focus.”   
  
“But isn’t this the vampire’s magic to lure in their prey?” the girl asked, her fists clenched.   
  
Her mother seemed surprised, “Vampires have a lot of abilities. Their speed, strength, venom and the ability to turn into shadows. They also have a very fine nose but nothing to lure their prey in.”   
  
“Then… How should a moment like that happen? Love at first sight seems to be too convenient”, despite her voicing disbelief, a realization was starting to work its way through her mind - too scary to be true.   
  
“My dear child… For one, love at first sight happens, but it is a rare thing indeed. If you need a more scientific answer I’d say that the body’s pheromones just match perfectly”, the elderly woman chuckled as her daughter rolled her eyes. “But you see, there is something in the world of monsters that we would describe as a soulmate. Partly because unions are stronger than individuals but mainly because no creature - not us humans nor the monsters - are really made to be alone. I for my part don’t care what it is that makes us want to be with someone. Whether it’s fate or biology… I think the important part is to accept it.”   
  
[Y/N] fell silent for a moment, thinking her mother’s words over again.   
  
“So, where was I? Oh right. The boy wasn’t able to kill the vampire, the vampire refused to kill him. Instead they eloped and the rest is history…”, with her last words the mother stepped away from her daughter, looking her over.   
  
“So your family is partly vampire?” after all the girl had experienced so far, this wasn’t all that surprising.   
  
“And so are you.”   
  
  
  
“What do you mean, you let her go?!”   
  
“Matt, I told you already. It was the right thing to do!”   
  
On the chair next to the vampire, a shape was shifting in and out of focus, the dark hollow eyes floating in thin air, “I heard you, Shiro. I have ears. But I do not understand it. After what you’ve told me…”   
  
Shiro let out a heavy sigh, “I know… But I couldn’t imprison a human just because she smelled divine. I mean, technically I could but…”   
  
“Yeah, yeah, right. You’re just trying to be the nice guy. But honestly, how do you plan on ever meeting her again at this rate? It’s been days since you brought her back home and she didn’t bother to come near you. I’d say that girl is not interested.”   
  
This made the vampire smile, “It would be better for her not to come close to me ever again.”   
  
Even if it was meant as a half-hearted joke, there was nothing but sincerity in the ghost’s voice, “But it would be the worst thing for you.”   
  
  
  
Once Matt had left, Shiro slumped back into his chair, staring at the ceiling, trying to work around the cryptic words his friend had left him with. What did he mean when he said it would be the worst thing for him if she would never show up again?   
It wasn’t as if he was going to die because of it. True, he found himself wondering what she was doing a couple of times already and he could feel his heart beat faster whenever he thought back to that tiny smile, but it would pass.   
Just like her own life.   
  
A groan escaped him as this thought crossed his mind. Why did he even care? Of course, she was one of his subjects, a human he vowed to protect. And yes, she saved his life more than once, but none of this explained why he was feeling so… lonely.   
Shiro even once walked into the village at dawn to test his chances of casually walking by her father’s shop. Of course she wasn’t there.   
  
“What’s wrong with me?” he murmured. “Maybe I should pay Allura and her witches a visit…”   
  
Despite his best efforts to ignore the truth right in front of him, he could not shake this feeling of longing. And he didn’t like it.   
A loud knock on his front door made him jerk up his head, furrowing his brows. The sun had only just set, which meant it was too early for any of his friends to drop by - even Matt had stayed during the sunlit hours before he had left.   
Who in their right mind would approach him at this hour?   
  
At first, Shiro wanted to ignore it, but the knocking became more desperate, the faint sound of fingers scratching the wood ringing in his ears. But what ultimately made him run for the the door was the muffled sob he never wanted to hear again.   
Without thinking twice he rushed to the main entrance, opening it full force, only to be met with a pair of big round eyes.   
  
Seconds passed, neither of them moving, before [Y/N] bowed, biting her lower lip, obviously not knowing what to do next.   
Had she expected that he would not open up?   
  
“I am sorry for this late… early intrusion, Sir. I just… I had nowhere to go”, her voice was barely audible against the breeze, her hands hanging lifelessly at her sides.   
  
“I’ve been awake for a while already, nothing to worry about. Just tell me how I could help you”, the vampire was impressed how calm he sounded despite his blood on fire, his mind racing.   
  
It’s been a few days since they’ve met and her scent, the singing of her blood never once left him. But as she stood there before him, it hit him again, not leaving any room for him to breathe.   
The girl was obviously looking for the right thing to say, completely lost on his front door. Apart from his instincts tingling, Shiro had to resist the urge to just touch her warm skin. To feel that she was indeed real and not a hallucination of his mind.   
  
His heart broke when she lifted her gaze, her eyes full of sorrow and loss, pain too great to be ever spoken about pouring from those endless pools, her voice barely holding herself together, “My parents… Dr. Wolf killed my parents.”   
  
  
  
After her mother’s revelation, the days quickly returned back to normal. At first, the girl was surprised that she didn’t seem to mind that she was indeed of vampire origin - even it was some five generations in the past. But then again, as she thought about it, it wasn’t that unusual really, given that monsters and humans shared the surface before the war. Surely there were more people like her.   
What was more, she was only a tiny bit vampire, which was the same as to say one of her ancestors generations back came from overseas.   
At least that was her way of coming to terms with it.   
  
What bothered her more - by far - was her aching heart. Of course, she had been in love before, crushing hard on a neighbor’s son before it turned out that he was afraid of committing to anyone, meaning he had a few girlfriends at once. And hadn’t there been a traveler’s grandson who’d passed the village a couple of times?   
Yet, she had never felt like this before.   
It was wonderful as it was confusing. And maybe most of all, it was impossible, the harsh truth crashing her down time and again over the coming days.   
  
Even if she was intrigued by the vampire, for him she surely was just another human he needed to protect.   
  
_ But what about the way he had touched you? _   
  
Shaking her head, [Y/N] tried to keep her mind focussed on the work in front of her. Her father wasn’t the youngest anymore, and after a serious injury he needed her around the workshop more than ever before. This suited her well, taking her mind off the things she simply could not understand.   
  
It’s been more than a week since that fateful night when her mother asked her if she could run down to the marketplace, fetching some fresh ingredients for dinner. At the promise that there would be some delicious dessert afterwards, the girl left at once, rushing out the door and down the street, greeting her neighbours as she passed.   
That was how her life was supposed to be; surrounded by her family and friends, helping around the house by day, reading and discussing with her father over dinner and way into the night. She was content with her simple life, thankful for the stable home and love she’d received every single day.   
  
As she was making her round across the market, chatting with the vendors while getting handed one or two items for free, she heard a group of elders discussing a rumor of another vampire attack. This time a whole family had supposedly been murdered in the capital. Feeling her blood run cold, [Y/N] was relieved to learn that neither of them believed this.   
  
“I wonder where the vampire hunter went…” the girl heard a man say, making her stop in her tracks.   
  
“From what I’ve heard he left soon after we’ve spoken to him. Some say he had left for another town, but Mr. Enders just told me that he had found the corpses of cattle way off their home, in the woods. And they looked like someone had slaughtered them”, another one replied.   
  
“So you think he is still around, hunting the rumored vampire?” there seemed to be amusement in the woman’s voice.   
  
The girl didn’t wait for anyone to answer this question, making a run for her home, a dark foreboding taking a hold of her.   
She hadn’t left her parents alone in days, too occupied by the workload, too tired to wander off by herself.   
  
“Please… Let me only be paranoid…”, she begged as she pushed down the handle, the door swinging open with a creaking noise.   
  
It was quiet in their house. Too quiet.   
  
Steadying herself, the girl walked into the kitchen where she’d left her mother.   
The room was empty.   
Yet, the eerie feeling inside the house was telling her that it was too early to get her hopes up. With a hammering heart she left the groceries on the table, making her way over to the workshop.   
  
Since she could remember, this had been a place of wonders, almost sacred. It was her father’s domain, the space he was able to create the most amazing items almost effortlessly. It had been an honor to her when her father had asked whether she wanted to follow in his steps.   
As her eyes scanned the beloved room, each and every corner telling another story, she felt reality slip through her fingers. Right there on the big table in the middle of the room, the table where the magic happened, were here parents.   
  
Or what was left of them.   
  
[Y/N] just stared at the remains of her family for a while, her mind blank. There were no words or actions to express her endless despair, hopelessness and anger.   
She just stood there, taking in every last detail, refusing to let the image before her overcast any of her fondest memories.   
How long she stood there, she did not know. But eventually she bid her parents farewell, turned around…   
  
… and ran.   
  
  
  
As she made her way through the forest, she felt tears rolling down her cheeks, as if her heart was only beginning to understand what had happened. More than once she needed to stop because her breathing became too shallow, her vision too blurred to make out any obstacles.   
Multiple times she asked herself where she was going - as if the answer wasn’t obvious. There really was only one safe place for her right now, only one place she wanted to be at.   
  
The girl knew, she probably looked like a mess when she knocked on the dark wooden door. That she wouldn’t make sense for hours if not days to come.   
But when the door swung open and she looked into those serene eyes she knew that none of this mattered.   
  
  
  
The girl had been asleep for most of the night, causing Shiro to restlessly pace around the living room, trying to piece together what he knew.   
From the way her parents’ have been murdered, it was clear that the culprit was not human. It was too staged, too conveniently placed.   
As if it was but a mere game.   
What was more, none of the valuable objects had been removed, no mess stayed behind, no lock damaged. And finally, the time [Y/N] had been gone - the knowledge when she would leave and how long it would take her to come back - seemed too arbitrary to allow a human as a culprit.   
  
So this only left Dr. Wolf - or any other creature of the night for that matter.   
Frustrated, Shiro hit the wall, leaving a decent hole in the structure.   
This was only his fault. Only because he was targeted, for reasons only beginning to dawn on him, this human had lost her family in the most gruesome way. There was nothing he could do to make up for it.   
  
“She saved your life and you thanked her by letting her parents get slaughtered…”, of course he should’ve surveyed their home more closely, paying closer attention to what was happening in and around the village.   
  
Maybe he could’ve prevented this…   
  
Silently as a ghost the girl appeared in the doorframe, her hair a mess, her eyes sullen. She almost looked as if she hadn’t slept at all.   
And yet she appeared to Shiro like the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.   
  
“You still have a few hours to rest before the sun rises”, he said as he walked over to her.   
  
“I know. But I wasn’t able to fall asleep again so I figured I could get up and talk to you… Sir”, she averted her gaze and bowed her head.   
  
As gently as he could, Shiro lifted her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye, fear crossing her face briefly, “If you really intend to stay here as you’ve stated before, you may drop that ‘Sir’.”   
  
“B-But you are our protector! I just can’t…”, she started to protest, making him chuckle.   
  
“To you I am a flatmate. If you want to. You can call me Shiro.”   
  
This made her eyes grew even bigger, as if she was not able to wrap her head around the informality he was proposing.   
He parents raised her right if she has so much respect for the creatures of the night.   
  
“Thank you… But may I ask you a question?” her head still in Shiro’s grip, she was unable to look away or hide her shyness.   
  
“You can ask me anything. But in return I want answers myself. Does this sound fair?”   
  
[Y/N] blinked a few times, assessing the situation, before a tiny smile appeared on her lips, making Shiro catch his breath.   
Maybe having her stay was going to test his strength more than he had ever anticipated.   
  
  
  
“Are all vampires as kind and caring to their subjects?” the girl asked, sitting next to Shiro on the couch, almost ashamed of her question.   
  
“I’m afraid not. While we generally refrain from drinking human blood, we do seldomly interact with them.”   
  
“Do  _ you _ drink human blood?”   
  
This made Shiro pause, trying to calm himself, “Not really. It would be a violation of the treaty to drink from those who do not consent.”   
  
She thought for a moment, “So… If, let’s say… If I would tell you that you may drink my blood it would be no violation, but if you would just attack me it would?”   
  
“Yes… That is correct”, his voice sounded strained, the thought of sinking his teeth into her warm body and relishing in her blood almost too much to bear.   
  
His battle must’ve shown, for [Y/N] moved slightly, crossing her arms as if that would do any good. She did her best to not let the fear get the better of her.   
  
Her voice was calm, when she next spoke, “I am sure you are aware, however, that even if you’d attack me, no one would notice. There’s no one to report me missing or to look for me. So why are you not helping yourself to an easy snack?”   
  
Shiro just gaped at her, his blood running cold despite his instincts working their way around his consciousness. There was nothing wrong with what she’d just said. And from the way she looked at him, despair painted all across her face, her eyes dull from the loss and pain, she wouldn’t even mind if he would just attack her right there.   
  
“You saved my life…”, he tried weakly.   
  
“As if you wouldn’t have made it out there by yourself”, she countered.   
  
“I still owe you for it.”   
  
“You’re a vampire. I am a human. You don’t owe me anything.”   
  
“You cried when you removed my arm.”   
  
This made her pause for a moment. Closing her eyes he watched her as she replayed the scene, all those days ago. It almost felt like a different life altogether.   
  
“You don’t know me. For all you do know I am a vampire. A monster, strong enough to kill you on the spot, no questions asked. And yet you saved me, instead of yourself. You risked your life for me. You came here with me to tend to my wound, all while crying over something as small as an arm”, once started, he wasn’t able to stop himself, all the questions he had harboured over the past days pouring out into the open. “You asked me if I needed anything for my pain. Not once did you shy away from my touch. You came back here after your parents’ death, willingly walking into the lion’s den. And on top of that you wouldn’t even fight if I would feed on you… Why? I am a creature of the night. Why don’t you treat me like one?”   
  
[Y/N]’s expression grew from surprise to shame, bringing a little flicker of light back to her eyes. She didn’t answer right away, making Shiro anxious.   
Did he went too far? Would she leave now?   
  
_ Why would you even care? _   
  
He groaned inwardly at his own weakness. Never in the dozens of years he had wandered the earth had he felt so defeated, so weak.   
Deep inside of him he knew why this human girl made him feel that way. He knew why his blood was answering hers and why she smelled so divine to him. He knew why he was able to remain strong amidst the storm his thirst had become.   
But it was wrong.   
  
“For one, vampires protect us humans. For that I respected you even before we’ve met. Of course I am somewhat afraid of your strength. But…”, she interrupted herself, looking down on her hands, gripping at the nightgown the vampire had provided her with. “You’ve only been kind to me. And you were injured… Because I wasn’t fast enough. And maybe to you vampires losing an arm is nothing, but to me… As strange as it may sound, I feel like I’ve messed up.”   
  
“Why?” Shiro breathed, too afraid his voice would betray him.   
  
Gripping even harder into the fabric, she replied, “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense… And I can’t explain it… I just didn’t want you to hurt. I-I wanted to hear that laughter again…”   
  
He blinked at her, no words leaving his lips.   
Was this even real?   
  
“And it is true that I do not know you… But I wish I could change that”, finally she lifted her gaze, meeting his, rendering him speechless.   
  
She was still in pain, he could see that. But beneath all the layers of despair and hurt, he could sense an unyielding spirit.   
And a heart that refused to give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *leaves this week’s chapter right before heading to bed*  
> I just love Matt as a ghost... I really have to draw him and Pidge at one point...
> 
> As always, comments, suggestions and even curses are always welcome here :)
> 
> Have a wonderful week!


	4. Immerse

The vampire soon retreated to his chamber to rest for the brightest hours of the day, leaving her to her own devices in the gigantic mansion.   
There was enough to explore and a big library as well, which meant that she would not be bored while she waited for him to wake up again.   
But the moment the door to his room closed, she rushed to her assigned bedroom and buried her face into the pillows.   
  
Did she really say all this?   
What was she thinking?   
Since when was she so brave? Or stupid? Or both?   
A deep sigh left her as she turned around and lay flat on her back, staring into the void.   
  
While they were talking, the recent events became distant, but as she lay there in her bed, alone, she felt the weight of it all come crashing down on her. Her heart felt as if it was about to explode, to shatter to a million pieces.   
Tears started to well up once again, threatening to drown her whole. She knew that her parents would’ve never wanted her to be so sad but to keep on moving forward. And she knew that she would, but just for a bit, she wanted to let the tears fall, to hurt. To give in.

Tomorrow she would get up again.   
  
  
  
Still exhausted from the emotional strain, [Y/N] fell asleep once more, waking up in the afternoon with a growling in her belly that made her get up and look for the kitchen. To her biggest surprise, there was fresh food stored in the cupboards, not a single piece of meat to be seen.   
She made a mental note to thank the vampire once he’d woken up.   
  
_ You can call me Shiro. _   
  
This was a form of intimacy that made her giddy like a little girl for no real reason. She had to remind herself that this was nothing but an illusion. He felt like he owed her something. There were no feelings - be it friendship or anything more - involved. It was all part of the contract and due to the events that brought the two of them together.   
So she’d better calm herself down if she wanted this shared living to work. Only for a brief moment did she dwell on the strangeness of the situation - a human willingly living with a monster - before she let it go with a sigh. For reasons unknown to her, it was the only option that made real sense to her. After all, he had been nothing but kind to her, never once appearing like the thread the old stories made him up to be.   
Furthermore, this was only temporary. Just until she was able to cope with her loss and grief and to come up with a plan to eliminate the one responsible for all of this.   
  
Just as she was cutting up some vegetables, the vampire appeared in the doorframe, looking at her curiously.   
  
“Good morning”, she tried, shy all of a sudden, as if her thoughts would show on her face. “Shouldn’t you still be sleeping?”   
  
Shiro tilted his head to one side, “I don’t feel like sleeping at the moment…”   
  
There were so many unspoken words hanging in the air between them, but neither had the courage to bring anything forward.   
  
Instead, the girl asked, “Do vampires eat anything but blood?”   
  
“We are able to. It fills us up a bit, but it is no replacement for real blood”, his eyes rested on her.   
  
“Are you automatically killing someone when you drink?” she tried to casually return to the task at hand, cutting up potatoes for a stew. “Or is it either death or being turned?”   
  
Shiro did not answer right away. Instead he walked over to her, leaning against the counter next to her, making it hard for her to concentrate.   
Why was that?   
Because he was a monster who possessed powers beyond her wildest imaginations? Or maybe because after decades of separation, a human finally came face to face with the strongest of the creatures of the night?   
When Shiro finally answered, she jumped a little, too deep in thought.   
  
“Neither. While we generally infuse our pray with venom, it doesn’t automatically turn it into a vampire. For that I’d have to drink a good amount before infusing it with my own blood on top of the venom”, his voice was calm, but from the way his fingers dug into his palm she could tell that he was not. “There are some vampires who have one or more humans who willingly give their blood without ever being turned. Human blood in general is what we live off naturally, as it gives us the most power. Still, I for myself drink as little as possible and if I need to its mostly wild animals. Don’t worry, I don’t kill them.”   
  
So many questions were running through her head, but for some reason she decided to put those aside for the time being, her head already full with all the information she’d received recently.   
What was more, he was just so close. A detail she’d only just noticed, causing her to almost cut herself.   
  
[Y/N] looked up at Shiro who had playfully raised an eyebrow at her as if to question her sanity.   
Something about this made her smile. This was such an absurd scenario she had found herself in; standing in the kitchen at dawn, chopping up vegetables while casually chatting with a vampire as if it was the most normal things ever.   
  
Maybe because that’s what it should be.   
  
  
  
No matter how hard he tried, he just wasn’t able to fall asleep. His head was full of the recent events, his mind racing, guilt surging through his veins, side by side with desire to just sink his teeth into her delicate white neck…   
Shiro was a mess and he knew it. He knew that welcoming her in his home was putting both of them, if not the world, in grave danger. Simply because he was hardly able to resist the sweet sweet smell, the singing of her blood.   
A groan escaped him when he thought about the way her lips curled up when she smiled or how stars started to dance in her eyes whenever the veil of pain parted - even for a split-second. He wasn’t able to understand or read her. She was like a walking secret which only unraveled bit by bit.   
He found himself craving more.   
  
“Don’t be an idiot…”, he mumbled as he sat up in his bed, his face buried in his hands.   
  
Apart from his instincts, the craving only amplified by the fact that he hadn’t had any blood in a few days, he knew that there was something else, something more, that was drawing him in. Something he could not explain.   
But he knew the word perfectly well.   
Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts even the slightest bit, he tried to come up with anything to make this situation less dangerous.   
  
For one, he needed to go out and drink, so this thirst would finally subside and but this inner demon to rest. And then he would have to find a way to cope with her presence. Shiro knew that the best and safest decision would be to either tell her to leave or to at least stay as far away from her as possible. Yet he also knew that there was no way he would be able to do either of those things.   
Maybe his library would yield some answers, a way to ease these conflicting emotions within him.   
  
Breathing deeply he heard a faint noise coming from the kitchen, as if someone was opening and closing the cupboards before working on the ingredients with a knife.   
Without wasting another thought on a situation he would have to slowly untangle, he got up and made his way down there. The moment he lay eyes on her he stopped dead in his tracks.   
She slightly turned her head and their eyes met.   
Has she always looked so radiant or was it his thirst that made him hallucinate already?   
He knew humans, he watched thousands of them in various stages of their fragile lives but never did he come across someone like her.   
She spoke up, forcing him back into the present.   
Maybe this was going to be even harder than he had anticipated.   
  
  
  
“Why do you refuse to feed in humans? If you’d find one who willingly gave their blood, wouldn’t that be more pleasant for you?” [Y/N] asked after the two of them had finished their meal.   
  
Shiro wasn’t too fond of normal human food, but the way she looked at him when he tried the stew, as if she was eager to learn how he would like it, made him ask for seconds. It wasn’t exactly bad, but vampires had a different way of tasting things, given that their diet consisted mostly of iron and water. There was simply no need for tasting buds as humans had. Still, he enjoyed the warm meal and the rather light-hearted conversation that came along with it. The girl seemed genuinely happy when he had finished his second serving. The smile she gave him made his heart skip a beat.   
The answer to her question, however, made the harsh reality hit him again.   
  
He tried to keep his voice calm when he replied, “Being a vampire can be compared to being a very wealthy human being. Some people are only interested in the benefits such a relationship would bring. For those it’s not about the one they are with, but about their own personal gain. I never wanted anything like that.”   
  
It felt as if the temperature had dropped, making him shiver. [Y/N] looked deeply in thought, rolling his words over in her head. While Shiro studied her face, marvelling over her long lashes and endlessly deep eyes, he noticed a strand of hair hanging down. Without thinking he reached out and gently tucked it back behind her ear, making her look at him with big round eyes, a slow blush creeping up her cheeks.   
On the one hand this was a beautiful sight, but on the other he was hit by the scent of her rushing blood, way too close to his face.   
His fangs.   
  
Faster than he had anticipated he drew his hand back and shot up to standing, making her wince. The pain that crossed her face hurt him, but he needed to get some distance between them to protect her.   
  
Just as he walked out, he heard her voice, shaking, breaking, hardly ever reaching him, “I don’t care about any of that… But I do care about you.”   
  
Not able to face her again, he briskly walked out, leaving the mansion just as the first star appeared on the black canvas above.   
  
  
  
Shiro leaned against a tree close to the small church just outside the village. Where all of it began.   
Where he should’ve died.

Where it should have ended.

  
He had fed on a few deers and even a wolf, all of which looked more than happy to get away from him. He should’ve had enough for weeks.   
But there was still this thirst burning in his throat as if nothing could ever satisfy him again. Anything but her.   
[Y/N] had proposed to be his source of blood without explicitly saying so multiple times already. Almost as if she wanted to repay him for…   
For what?   
There was nothing he had done that would weigh heavy enough for her to come forward and propose such an outrageous feat. But then again, she wasn’t aware how any of this felt to him. Surely, talking to her would be the next step before any of them could proceed in whatever direction this might go.   
  
But what if she would leave him after hearing him out?   
  
Just the thought of this made him shut his eyes, feeling his heart wince. It would hurt, for sure. But he would not and could not force her to stay with him.   
More so, if it would put her life in danger.   
Still, talking about how her blood made him go crazy and how her smell was driving him insane was the equivalent to confessing his love to her.   
  
This last thought made him stop and look up into the sky.   
The moon was barely visible, making the stars shine even brighter.   
And then it hit him.   
It was not the equivalent. It  _ was _ confessing his love to her.   
He, Takashi Shirogane, the most powerful vampire, was in love with a human.   
  
This thought was equally frightening as it was liberating.   
With just a few words he would wager his happiness or complete defeat.   
Breathing deeply he sent his wish to the heavens.   
  
  
  
The moment he stepped into his home, he froze over. There was the faint smell of blood in the air.   
_ Her _ blood.   
Shiro followed the scent all the way to the library. Without thinking twice he opened the door, the force of the fragrance hitting him straight on. His vision was blurred, his fangs ready to strike. Hardly anything of his consciousness remained when he lay eyes on the figure laying on the sofa amidst countless books.   
A pair of galaxies looked at him, clearly afraid of his snarl and expression.   
  
It took all his strength not to leap at her. Instead he tried to count the books, and if only to calm himself down as the scent was slowly evaporating through the open door.   
[Y/N], however, had other plans.   
The moment she noticed that he was, in fact, not going to attack her, she had gotten up and walked over to him, revealing the source for the commotion.   
  
A mere papercut on her index finger.   
  
Her eyes looked down on the barely visible wound before she met his gaze. The fear had been replaced with determination and something he could not quite place.   
  
Her voice was calm when she held her finger up and said, “I don’t want to spill this.”   
  
Just as Shiro thought he had gotten a hold of himself she put the fresh wound right in front of his face, making his blood race.   
  
“No…”, he managed to growl, trying to take a step back before he hit the wall.   
  
Her eyes never left his face, “Why? You are not forcing me. I don’t care about wealth or fame… But I do care about you.”   
  
There, she’d said it again.   
And Shiro believed her.   
He looked at her finger, still outstretched.   
Oh, how he wanted this delicious crimson juice…   
But would he be able to stop before it was too late?   
  
He closed his eyes for a moment, pulling himself together before he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tender frame, drawing her in close. For a second, he felt her tense up, before she gave in and melted into him, her hands clawing into his shirt.   
He felt her body shake as the tears started to fall.   
  
“Why…? Why am I not good enough for anything…?” she whispered against his chest, her voice thick. “I wasn’t able to protect my family… I can’t make your life easier… Instead all I do is weighing you down..!”   
  
Shiro pulled her in even closer as the waves of pain crushed over her. Having her right there in his arms was all he needed. Yet it was incredibly dangerous. Still, feeling her heart race against is chest, a muffled sob working its way up her throat, he knew that this was the only right path to go.   
  
Nuzzling her hair with his nose he gently replied, “You are not weighing me down. Not even close. Even though, I have to admit, you are not making my life easier. But you make it more exciting.”   
  
[Y/N] lifted her head, looking up to him, “Then why…?”   
  
The vampire gently released her so he could take her face into his hands, her eyes drawing him in again. It was such an intimate motion, sending his heart into an overdrive.   
  
“Because I would not be able to stop.”   
  
  
  
She watched him storm out of the kitchen, her heart breaking.   
What did just happen?   
Replaying the conversations over the stew and then her final question, revealed nothing to her. Maybe she’d phrased something badly?   
But up until now he never just left like that…   
  
_ Shiro had touched you. _   
  
True, but it hadn’t been the first time. So what was different this time? Thinking hard about this question, the girl cleaned up the kitchen in an attempt to not let this darkness inside eat her up.   
Eventually, every last counter had been scrubbed to perfection, which left her with nothing to do. Walking out of the room she realized that Shiro had probably left the mansion altogether, getting as far away from her as possible.   
  
“What did I do wrong?” she asked the empty hallway, not able to hide her agony anymore.   
  
It was just too much.   
There probably was an explanation that came nowhere close to her darkened imagination. But right then she wasn’t able to think of anything but the negative.   
That she was alone.   
That it was most likely her fault.   
That Shiro was so fed up with her that he just walked out.   
  
Refusing to let the tears spill, the girl made her way up to the library. Maybe she would find answers there. Ways to make this easier. Ideas to find a path forward.   
  
  
  
[Y/N] did not realize how much time had passed while she read paragraph after paragraph about vampire history and the shared time with humans, before the war and the treaty. She found out about the way the world of monsters was organised and how vampires were able to live with humans for so long without slaughtering all of them.   
Of course, there had been different groups of vampires, but most coexisted in a peaceful manner. And, just like her mother had told her, there had been countless relationships between vampires and humans. Sometimes they involved turning the human, sometimes it did not.   
  
What interested her the most was how their ancestors had been able to control their desire when it was obviously the most natural yet dangerous characteristic of a vampire.   
It took her a little research, but eventually she found the instructions for the ritual performed if a human and a vampire decided to stay together.   
  
For a moment, [Y/N] was overjoyed but as she read on, her joy turned into sadness.   
The ritual could only be performed once and never been undone again. It would make it easier for the vampire to resist the human he had chosen, to a point he had full control over his thirst, but it also meant that the moment the human died the vampire would never be able to perform this again. Basically it made him into an outcast back when monsters mingled with humankind.   
  
This surely sounded like the perfect solution, but the ritual also spoke about a special bond necessary, and how it was comparable to marriage.   
The girl let out a deep sigh as she stretched her tired body. As much as she wished for this to be the way they would go, she wouldn’t ever force Shiro into it.   
There was nothing he would gain from such a ritual.   
After all, she was had just been looking for a way to make her own presence more bearable, not subject him to such a great lifechoice.   
  
[Y/N] flicked through some more paragraphs before she managed to cut herself while turning a page. Her first reaction was to suck off the blood herself like she always did. But when she paused for a moment, looking at the barely visible line on her finger, not sure where her thoughts were going, she heard the door to the library being opened.   
  
Lifting her gaze she inhaled sharply when she met Shiro’s crimson eyes, looking at her with bloodlust, his fangs ready to strike. There was the slightest hint of blood on the corners of his mouth, so he must’ve been out hunting.   
  
Did he storm off because his thirst had become unbearable?   
  
Normally he should’ve been full after the hours he had spent outside, she thought, but the way the snarl made his lips part, she knew that this was not the case. Maybe he hadn’t found enough to feed on?   
Glimpsing at her finger she regretted not getting rid of the fine red line. From what she had read, she knew that vampires had a very fine nose. So this might be a small inconvenience for her, but almost unbearable for him.   
  
The girl got up and walked over to him, resolve in her gaze as she lifted her finger. Surely, a small amount would not kill her and ease his thirst?   
That this was a crazy undertaking was clear to her, even in her exhausted state. There really was no rational explanation of why she would offer her blood willingly when faced with the snarl of a vampire. But it still was what just felt right to her.   
  
And yet, her courage faltered when Shiro refused, backing away from her. Her thoughts were sent into pandemonium, the pain and grieve welling up again. She knew that this was bound to happen, of course it was.   
Just a small feat really - she knew he wanted to protect her - but still.   
It hurt.   
Everything just hurt.   
  
As she came undone in his arms she felt his own racing heart and realized what an effort he was putting forward to comfort her despite being caged by his own instincts and desires.   
  
Their eyes met and she gasped silently. Those eyes, just a moment before full of hunger and demonic possession, were now looking over her with the most tender expression, revealing every last secret he had.   
  
“I would not be able to stop”, Shiro’s voice was hoarse, full of emotion. “You have no idea…”   
  
How was he able to make those darks clouds evaporate like that? She could still feel them, but whenever he was close, she was able to keep them at bay.   
As if he was her personal protector.   
  
His thumbs caressed her cheeks, making it hard for her to breathe, “You don’t know how hard this is.”   
  
Her voice was shy but determined when she replied, “Tell me.”   
  
  
  
She was close, making Shiro’s head spin. How he was able to still think straight was beyond him. He could still smell her blood, even though they had the small cut wrapped in a layer of bandages. Her every move sent another wave of her very essence his way. The way her lips moved made it impossible not to imagine to kiss them.   
And yet they just stood there, her face cupped in his hands, her eyes looking at him trustingly, patiently waiting for him to go on.   
  
But could he?   
  
Judging from the mess she’d made these past hours, he figured that she had been researching about monsters, vampires and everything in between. Instead of resting, she’d spent the night with finding ways to meet him halfway.   
The least he could do was to reveal to her how he felt, right?   
Still wouldn’t it be too much to tell her he loved her after they’ve basically just met?   
  
His inner struggle must’ve shown on his face, when [Y/N] giggled, “I am sorry… I know I shouldn’t laugh, but you’re supposed to be such a high and mighty creature and yet you look lost like a schoolboy. The contrast is too great.”   
  
“I may be the oldest schoolboy in history then”, he playfully replied, thankful for this slight turn of events.   
  
“Old but cute”, the moments the words where out, her eyes grew wide and her cheeks heated up.   
  
Another wave hit him, making him growl deeply. Of course, she thought this referred to her last statement, causing her to apologize.   
  
“No, that’s not it…”, he knew, it was now or never.   
  
No matter how scared he was or how strange this might’ve looked, he knew that he had to take this opportunity and let her in. Keeping this a secret would only lead to more problems in the future.   
Given that they would have one together.   
  
Shiro looked at her, feeling his heart racing as he tried to find the right words to explain this. But no matter how hard he thought, his mind stayed blank.   
What was she doing to him?   
  
Again, as if she could feel his innermost emotions and thoughts, [Y/N] looked him over, a shy smile playing around her lips, “May I do something stupid, probably dangerous?”   
  
He was taken aback by this proposal, not sure what to expect, “As long as no blood is involved, you have my fullest consent.”   
  
She gave a curt nod before she gently took his hands away from her cheeks and, holding onto them, she got up on her toes and placed the gentlest of kisses on his lips.   
  
The vampire couldn’t help himself but gape at her, not able to grasp what just happened. The electricity from this gentle touch was making his skin prickle in a way he never felt before. Her courage rendered him speechless as was the love in her eyes. She was not afraid of him, made no distinctions between human and vampire. He could feel that she cared for him, as individual, not about whether he was a creature of the sun or the moon.   
Could this really be real?   
  
As the truth of her actions hit her, [Y/N] quickly let go of his hands, averted her gaze and apologized, “That was beyond stupid… I am sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking..!”   
  
Taking a step back she hit a stack of books, almost falling over had Shiro not caught her. Despite her hiding her face in her hands, the scent told him that she was blushing again. He felt his belly leap as he gently released her, so both of them sat in front of each other on the floor.   
  
“I am making a complete fool of myself…” she continued.   
  
“Could you do it again?” his question made her drop her hands at once, her eyes shooting question marks at him.   
  
He wanted to feel that again and again and again.   
He wanted this to never stop.   
He wanted to get drunk on her.   
  
[Y/N] did not move, trying to figure out if he was joking or being serious, so he repeated his question, “If this is making a fool of yourself, could you do it again?”   
  
Shiro felt his heart hammering against his chest, hopeful anticipation making him shiver slightly. He watched as she was slowly shaking her head, still too ashamed by her forceful advance. Despite his own needs, he had to clarify whether she was too shy or she thought it a mistake. Never would he go against her wishes.   
  
“I just… I don’t know… I’m sorry...” she stammered.   
  
“So you don’t want to kiss me?” trying his best to sound upbeat, Shiro felt his heart wince a little.   
  
“No! I mean… I do… Why wouldn’t I..?” not able to meet his gaze anymore she looked down.   
  
This made him smile, “I am a vampire. A monster.”   
  
“I don’t care. You are you…”   
  
“I could kill you instantly…” he was playing for time, hoping to get a hold of himself again.   
  
“You would never harm me”, her voice left no room for doubt - she trusted him completely.   
  
This made him groan, “Back at it again… Might as well… Well, let’s say your blood smells divine. In all my life I’ve never come across something like this. It’s hard for me to resist as is, especially hard when your blood is rushing to your cheeks…”   
  
This made her jerk up her head and look at him, realization and relief in her eyes. He knew she would have assumed she had done something wrong when he stormed off earlier. This simple thought gave him the courage he needed to go on.   
  
“Additionally, your overall smell is drawing me in, putting me in the situation that I want to be with you, knowing I should not for it is dangerous for you. Should I lose my control... I mean, I just almost did!”   
  
“What do you mean, you want to be with me?” she asked quietly. “There’s nothing to gain from that.”   
  
The both of them stayed silent for a moment, before Shiro replied, “Maybe it’s the same reason why you kissed me..?”   
  
With that, Shiro finally gave in to his desire, mumbling a silent  _ I am sorry _ , as he leaned forward and kissed her. Gently at first, giving her a chance to pull away, testing the waters of how much he was able to bear, being so close to her, feeling her blood rush through her veins. [Y/N], shy at first, deepened the kiss and placing her hands on his cheeks, pulling him closer.   
Shiro felt his thoughts swim, his heart race, not wanting this moment to pass. He was overwhelmed by it, barely able to restrain himself. This was nothing like he’d ever experienced before. Nothing like he imagined it to be.   
How could something that felt so right be so wrong?   
  
She moaned against his lips, making it hard for him to not give in to this welling thirst, screaming at him louder and louder with each passing moment.   
Slowly the two broke apart, their breath coming in hot waves, their eyes not able to see anything but the endless possibilities. That was, until reality hit.   
[Y/N] squeezed her eyes shut at once, biting her lower lip.   
  
“Is this how humans are rewarded by their masters?” her voice was hoarse.   
  
Shiro felt everything at once - confusion, anger, sadness and regret. The sweet sensations, the lightness her lips held, vanished in an instant.   
Of course, to her his actions must appear like a calculated plan, something she had to follow along in order to stay alive. She must be rationalizing everything in this foreign land of the night.   
Maybe he shouldn’t have told her about any of this? Would that make a difference?   
The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at him in a way that made his heart wince.   
There was so much pain but even more understanding and gratitude. She had accepted her fate as if it was the most natural thing in the world.   
  
“Or maybe, I should rephrase my question”, her voice brought him back into the library, still unable to voice any of his thoughts. “Is this how humans are punished by their masters?”   
  
“Punish..?”   
  
[Y/N] smiled sadly, looking down at her hands, “For disobedience. Show them something wonderful just to remind them that this is way beyond their reach and forever will be…”   
  
Shiro couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Nothing could be further from the truth. But how could he convey this?   
  
“You think I am merely toying with you? Punishing you for… whatever you think you did wrong?”   
  
The girl just shrugged and slowly stood up again, her arms across her chest as if to protect her from even more harm. She did not reply but looked at the vampire one last time before she bowed and left the room, slamming the door shut, leaving Shiro amidst the storm he himself had created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!  
> This week’s chapter was rather easy to write... or maybe I am just a very mean person? I always make my characters suffer for some reason...  
> *cough*  
> Aaaanyway, I hope this chapter finds you well - as always comments and curses are very much appreciated 💕


	5. Tied

As fast as she could without breaking into a run, [Y/N] made her way to the room she was sleeping in - refusing to call it “her” room. The moment the door was closed behind her, she leaned against the heavy wood and let herself slide to the floor, buried her face in her hands and finally let the tears fall.   
How could she be so stupid? Believing for a moment that there was something more than Shiro’s desire to repay her for saving him? More than his vampire-instincts?   
She knew that this wasn’t even a possibility but the way his fingers had brushed against her skin, his eyes letting her in… it was just too much to not give into this desire, this hope. Thinking about the kiss made her head spin and she forced herself to push these sensations away.   
She couldn’t let herself drown in this mess.   
  
Wiping away the tears, she let her head fall back so it rested against the door, her eyes scanning the ceiling.   
How should she proceed from here?   
Of course she could leave anytime, the vampire made this clear from the start: she was not a prisoner. But was she really? And would she be safe if she’d leave?   
The images of her parents, brutally slaughtered in their own home flashed before her eyes, making her shiver.   
  
Where did she go wrong?   
When did her life become so twisted and complicated?   
The answer was clear as day but would she act differently, knowing how it would end? Would she be able to let Shiro die just so she could go back to her life in the village?   
  
“What would you do, mother?” she asked the dim room.   
  
For reasons beyond her, she could imagine her mother replying something along the lines of: “Believe in your own heart. When everything else fails, listen to your heart. It will show you the way.”   
  
This made her smile a bit. While her father had taught her to think rationally, to think things true and never assume anything without checking the evidence - and always keep a slight hint of doubt - her mother always told her to listen to her feelings, to let the world in.   
And right now, in the situation she’d found herself in, she knew that she needed both.   
Even after they were gone, her parents had never left her.   
  
  
  
The days and nights passed, Shiro and [Y/N] hardly ever interacting with each other. It appeared as if the vampire tried to talk to her a couple of times, but she would just leave, her heart racing whenever pain flashed across his face, diminishing this precious light in his eyes.   
Oh, how she was longing for these lips to curl up again, his talking being interrupted by laughter…   
  
A couple of days after their “fight”, Shiro couldn’t hold back anymore and grabbed her arm just as she was passing him by in the hallway, “Please… let me explain…”   
  
Shaking her head, the girl tried to loosen the grip around her wrist. She was still unsure how she felt, everything too raw. With a low sigh, the vampire let go and watched her as she retreated to her bedroom once more, where she decided to call it a day and got into bed, painfully aware that her day-night-cycle was slowly adapting to her host.   
  
She was still so exhausted that she fell asleep almost instantly, falling into a deep dreamless sleep.   
She woke up hours later, confused at first where she was and why it was still rather dark in the chamber, before she remember the past days.   
  
Pulling the blanket over her face she breathed deeply. While she was not exactly sure what time it was, it was almost guaranteed that she would bump into Shiro at one point once she left the room. And as of now, she wasn’t ready for that, her head was still too much of a mess. While she had tried to push those thoughts and feelings away, to find something to look forward to in each day, the brief encounter hours earlier made it very clear that there was no point in acting like that.   
After all, she was just hurting him even more with her cryptic behaviour, and even to herself it became annoying, almost unbearable.   
  
Looking down at her wrist it was af if she was still able to feel his gentle touch. Despite his intention to capture her, he hadn’t used any pressure. He wasn’t forcing her to stay or to really answer or listen to him.   
  
To her, the most burning question surely was how she came to assume that he was seeing her as his potential “pet” instead of returning her feelings for him.   
Never did he act in accordance to his recalling of the practice of his kin. He only ever spoke against it, his face leaving no doubt about his real feelings about it.   
So why did she push him away yesterday?   
Again?!   
  
It was simply too good to be true.   
That was what she was telling herself from the moment she freed him and came out alive. Even after he told her - shy like a little boy - that her blood made him dizzy and her scent drove him insane, she tried to rationalize it. She was just too scared of being wrong about his feelings to even consider them to be a possibility.   
And with that stupidity she had hurt Shiro.   
  
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are just human”, her mother always replied when [Y/N] came home after a day of running errands and a million things she thought she’d done wrong. “Tell them how you feel. Apologize. Be honest. Be yourself.”

_ Be yourself. _   
  
But would Shiro still want her here if she was?   
Would he still listen to her apology, her explanation?   
Throwing the blanket away, she stood up and got dressed at once.   
There was really only one way to find out.   
Even if it scared her.   
  
  
  
Shiro hadn’t been able to sleep for most of the past days. His mind was racing, his heart aching, trying to figure out how to make up for his mistakes.   
He came up empty.   
The vampire was almost certain that words alone would never be able to convey how he felt.   
  
How his whole body hurt since she looked at him with those somber eyes and how he wished to rewind time.   
How he had to resist the urge to run after her and throw his arms around her.   
How he felt his own heart shatter hearing her muffled sobs from across the hall.   
  
And as if this wasn’t enough already, his throat was still aching with thirst. As if he hadn’t been out recently, hunting and feeding on dozens of animals. His body and mind were a burning mess.   
Since he wasn’t able to sleep anyway, he spent the late afternoon and well into the evening to finally clean up the library. With every book he put back he felt his whole body grow heavier and heavier. [Y/N] spent so much time to learn about his world and to find answers to the millions of questions she undoubtedly had and he had just ambushed her - confirming every last stereotype there was.   
Over and over again.   
  
With a heavy sigh Shiro grabbed the book still on the sofa - the one she had been reading when he returned - and stopped dead. The chapter that was still opened was about an ancient ritual he had almost forgotten about.   
  
_ Blood-binding. _   
  
A faint smile played around his lips when he picked up the book and his eyes skimmed over the pages. While it had been primarily been used between humans and vampires, it was also used among vampires as well. For them it was the most intimate act, showing their bond openly. Just like with humans, it was only possible to bond once in a lifetime. Given the extraordinary lifespan of vampires, this was a very big commitment.   
His own parents wore the symbols on their hands.   
  
Was this what she was proposing the other day?   
This thought made Shiro’s heart beat faster, his breath catch in his throat.   
Did she realize that it would make her unable to escape him even if she would make a run for it? That he would be able to find her, wherever she went? That the only way of for her was if her life’s light flickered out? That she would never be able to return to a normal human life? That the night would be her new domain?   
  
“I would make you the queen of the night if only you stayed with me…”, he mumbled softly before he put the book back where it belonged, resting his forehead against the shelf.   
  
He must’ve stood there for quite some time, his thoughts drifting, for the next thing he realized was the door being opened, making him turn sharply.   
Every last breath escaped him.   
[Y/N] stood there in the doorframe, her hair cascading down her shoulders. She wore something similar to the night she saved him: A blouse that played with her natural curves and black trousers with boots. Nothing could be further away from a princess of royal blood but he knew that she would outshine them all, even in such a casual outfit.   
  
The girl wore a shy expression and he felt her blood rise to her cheeks again, making him swallow hard, trying to suppress his thirst.   
Her eyes looked over his face, the veil of pain opening to invite him in. Without realizing it, Shiro made a step forward, before he stopped himself and leaned against the bookshelf once more, trying to steady himself. He would not ambush her again.   
  
“You haven’t slept again, have you?” it was supposed to be a question, but it sounded more like a statement. “I shouldn’t have left you standing there… I shouldn't have behaved like I did… I am sorry.”   
  
“There is nothing…”, he began but she only shook her head, begging him to let her speak.   
  
“From our first meeting, you have been nothing but kind to me and yet I just threw all of your kindness into your face and stormed out without explaining myself. I ignored you, left you on your own when you always offered me your shoulder… For that I apologize”, she bowed her head a little before she looked back at him, trying hard not to avert her gaze despite her shaking voice. “You deserve an explanation. So please bear with me… I will try to make this logical…”   
  
“I don’t think we need logic here…”, he whispered, making her smile.   
  
“All those days ago... you talked about how my blood and scent make you feel... “, Shiro winced inwardly as he recalled the scene. “You’ve told me so much about the world of monsters and I came to the understanding that you are not that different from us humans… Or, most humans.”   
  
The girl paused a moment, as if she wasn’t sure how to move on. What she ultimately said, however, was nothing Shiro would have expected.   
  
“There is one thing, I haven’t told you yet… Shortly before my parents were… murdered… my mother told me that I am of vampire origin, some five generations back. So technically I am not entirely human… I don’t know what that would mean in the greater scheme of things, but before I say anything more I felt like you deserved to know”, the way she looked at him made him understand that she would wait for him to process and react to this.   
  
The vampire couldn’t believe what he had just heard. But then again, there were a lot of humans with similar stories, right?   
So why was his heart beating faster, just hearing this?   
Pushing these thoughts and feelings aside he just gave a curt nod, not trusting his voice, urging her to continue.   
  
Breathing deeply, [Y/N] clenched her fists as she went on, “As I read all those books I found so many stories of monster-human-relationships it made my head spin. I never knew about this..! I sat there thinking about our interactions and yet… When you came home and kissed me I wasn’t able to be honest. I was afraid. I was overjoyed. I was confused. You have no idea how you make me feel…”   
  
At this point Shiro had to consciously remind himself to breathe.   
  
“Every last part of my body is screaming to touch you, to feel this electricity again. To bathe in your warmth and lose myself in your touch. I may not have such a fine nose as you, but my body… my heart reacts exactly the same. And when we kissed… I think I was able to faintly hear your blood singing in your veins and it made my head spin”, she closed her eyes for a moment, before she looked at him with so much love he thought he would explode. “But I was too scared to let this be true for I would shatter if you would not feel the same.”   
  
“What… made you change your mind?” was he even forming audible words?   
  
With a shy smile, the girl placed her hands on her chest, right above her heart. This simple gesture made it impossible for Shiro to remain motionless any longer. He pushed away from the shelf and walked over to her, stopping only a feet away, feeling the pull stronger than ever.   
  
“I am just human. I am not as strong as you. I will grow old and die. I only have this one life. But I would love to spend it with you”, she whispered, too afraid to look at him.   
  
Shiro felt his breathing accelerate with each word he spoke, “You are more… So much more than just a human to me. You are the part of myself I never knew I lost until I looked into your eyes that fateful night under the full moon. At that moment everything shifted into focus and the world exploded into colors.”   
  
Gently, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. It took every last bit of his composure to not kiss, or, worse yet, to not sink his teeth into her neck. She was just so close, her eyes so trusting…   
  
“Not only do I need you, I want you. I want every last piece of you. I want to create a life where you can thrive. I want this future. I want all those possibilities”, he stopped, a realization dawning on him.   
  
[Y/N] must’ve come to the same conclusion as she tilted her head to one side, exposing her soft neck to him. With saying that he wanted everything of her, of course that would include her _ blood. _ _   
_ But could he stop? Would he want to stop?   
  
Tracing the line of her neck with his lips he felt her shiver under his touch, making his thoughts blur even more. He tenderly broke away from her, looking over to the bookshelf, feeling her gaze following his. Without hesitation he pulled out the book about blood-binding again, opening the chapter he had been reading just now.   
  
Actions speak louder than words.   
  
  
  
“Are you sure about this?” her voice was barely audible. “I don’t want to take anything away from you…”   
  
Shiro, who had been standing in front of the bookshelves, abruptly turned around and looked her over, his brows furrowed, “What is there that you may take from me?”   
  
[Y/N] sighed loudly, “You will never be able to make such a binding again… And I will be dead in a few decades, meaning you will have to watch me turn into a raisin…”   
  
She stopped herself right there as the inevitable future loomed above them. Of course, Shiro had already thought about this. In fact, it had been one of the first things that had crossed his mind when he realized that his mind was coming back to her time and again, no matter the circumstances. It had never bothered him.   
  
The girl on the other hand seemed to mind this a great deal. Her head was hanging low again - the energy that had propelled them way into the early hours of the next day vanishing as the darkness crept up her heart. With a tender expression, Shiro closed the distance between them and rested his forehead against hers.   
  
“I’ve lived for decades and never met anyone like you. I just know that you are the only one who will ever have such a place in my heart”, he placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You are not taking anything away from me. Quite the contrary… You enrich my life more than you will ever know.”   
  
Shiro could see that her heart wanted to convince her mind that this was the most important thing. That growing old was just a part of life. But the sheer thought of leaving the vampire behind - even if she would be able to go straight up to a hundred years - was just too painful. If he himself dwelled too long over this question, he too started to contemplate to explore other things…   
  
Shaking his head slightly, he took her hand and lead her over to the table, on the far right corner of the library, where he had placed a decent amount of books and way too many pages of parchment. Gesturing her to sit down he slumped in the chair right next to her, breathing deeply.   
This was not going to be fun.   
  
“Before we start planning the… ritual, I want you to know exactly what it is you’re about to get yourself into”, he started, but [Y/N] interrupted him almost straight away.   
  
“If you are planning to scare me away by talking me through hours of politics and etiquette I have to tell you right away: I don’t care”, her eyes wore a passion that made him forget how to breathe. “From what I’ve gathered so far I know that vampires are the strongest of the monsters, giving them a royal-like status. This means that I would have to learn a lot of the conflicts and alliances as well as names. No doubt I will be an outcast and I have to be better at anything just so no one would think about talking bad about you. And you know what? I don’t care. If it means I have to sit here and learn for hours on end how to pronounce strange monster names or how to enjoy weird goo, I will do it. If I have to achieve some form of grace it will be hard but I will be the epitome of it.”   
  
[Y/N] reached across the table and took Shiro’s hands in her own, squeezing them reassuringly. There was not a hint of doubt in her voice, not a trace of fear on her face. If anything, she seemed nervous yet excited. Determined to overcome every last obstacle.   
  
“All I do care about is you. I want to make your life as rich as you enrich mine. So can we cut this explanation short?”   
  
The vampire just gaped at her, not able to process her quick wit and unwavering will. He had prepared all kinds of points for her to not be afraid of anything that may be foreign to a human, but she brushed them all aside by her sheer willingness to trust him.   
As he was fighting to think of a single coherent sentence, the girl tilted her head to one side, a slight blush painting her cheeks in the most gorgeous pink.   
  
“Is this the point where I have to say _ I do _ ?”   
  
  
  
She tossed and turned in her bed, not able to find the right position to relax and ultimately fall asleep. Finally, she sat up and looked around, the first rays of sunshine illuminating the shapes of the furniture in the room.   
After she had basically declined Shiro’s attempt to brief her about monster-society they quickly called it a day and went ahead to sleep. Neither able to look the other in the eye as if the realization of what they were about to do - and what it meant - was just dawning on them.   
As if they were two children in love for the very first time.   
  
And maybe they were.   
  
Still, as much as she marvelled in this feeling of love and being loved, whenever she started to really think about what it entailed, she eventually started to think about her own death. She knew that it was bound to happen, eventually, and that there was only one thing they could do to prevent it from happening.   
But would Shiro be willing to do it?   
  
When she was finally able to fall asleep she dreamed of her parents telling her that they loved her. That everything would be alright.   
When she woke up at dawn she could still feel the warmth of her mother’s embrace, giving her the courage to get up and ready for what would become one of the most important nights in her life.   
  
  
  
Shiro already awaited her in the library. He was sitting at the table, his head bowed as he read the instructions for the ritual yet once again as to not forget even the slightest detail. It could mean the difference between a success and a failure.   
Between life and death.   
The instructions seemed simple enough, nothing fancy was required apart from a sharp blade that had never drunk blood before, a few drops of the human’s blood and the recitation of the oath that would bind them together. They would just have to do it under the clear night sky so the stars and the moon could bear witness.   
  
He was so absorbed in the text that he only noticed her presence when she silently sat down next to him, making him jump.   
  
“I am sorry… I thought you heard me…”, she said, her eyes round. “Is everything alright?”   
  
What a sight he must’ve been!   
The excitement and fear of the ritual made it almost impossible for him to sleep and when he finally was able to, his dreams were full of dark images of what could go wrong. Now he felt even more exhausted then before he had gone to bed. And he had paid no mind to his hair becoming a mess until [Y/N] gently stroke his head, a shy smile on her lips.   
She was just so beautiful…   
  
“I am alright…”, he finally managed. “I was just thinking… This ritual had been performed between vampire and vampire as well as vampire and human… But have you found anything about vampire and a human with vampire-blood in their veins?”   
  
The girl’s eyes grew even bigger as she stopped stroking and just gaped at him, “Why..? Would that change anything?”   
  
Shiro moved so he could place a tender kiss on her hand before he replied, “I am not sure… It might and it might not. It’s just something we need to take into account.”   
  
For a moment, she closed her eyes, deep in thought. Shiro admired her for the fact that she was able to take anything that was thrown at her and think it through, adept to it and to ultimately come to terms with it. He wondered if she ever thought about this strength she had.   
  
“I think we should still move forward as planned”, her voice was even, her gaze full of trust. “After all, we will only find out once we get there, right?”   
  
Neither of them wanted to ponder whether or not it might cause her death - after all, vampires as well as humans had performed the ritual and in all of the reported cases both came out alive.   
So would they.   
  
  
  
They decided to perform it on the clearing with the small church. It was in safe distance from the mansion as well as clearly under the sky, nothing obstructing the stars and the small crescent the moon had become.   
The two stood right in the centre of the space, the forest framing them. As Shiro drew the blade, [Y/N] could see that he was shaking ever so slightly, and even his face betrayed his cool demeanour. He was just a reflection of the storm raging inside her and she felt everything at once: fear, anguish, loss, hope and, most of all, love.   
  
She leaned forward and kissed Shiro’s cheek ever so slightly, as if to let him know that she was right there with him. He returned the gesture, even more tender this time, before he cleared his throat.   
  
“Are you ready?” the vampire asked silently.   
  
Since she wasn’t trusting her voice anymore, she just nodded and watched him breathing deeply before he began reciting the ancient vow in a language she had never heard before. Still, she could feel the power of the words as they filled up the air around them, weaving the net that would catch them, bind them and, ultimately, set them free.   
It didn’t take long until Shiro gestured her to hold his hand so he could go ahead and carve the star into her forearm. Swallowing hard she reached out to him, bracing herself for the pain. The girl watched as the knife sank into her skin yet she did not feel anything - either it was part of the rite or she was too full of adrenaline. It was over in an instant, a perfect star flashing from her arm.   
Shiro then went ahead and handed her the blade, her own blood still fresh on the metall. It was her turn now, she needed to finish the ritual.   
  
She breathed a few times before she repeated the act of cutting the star into the vampire’s arm. Shiro didn’t move a muscle until she was done. The only thing left to do now was to put even more of her blood on his fresh wound as to finalize the binding. As she cut her index finger and watched as the crimson liquid dropped onto the fresh symbol on his arm, she thought about how much this resembled a vaccination - just a million times more romantic. But the idea behind it all was basically the same.   
  
Three drops and it was done. Looking up from the spectacle, [Y/N] inhaled sharply as she met Shiro’s gaze. His pupils had dilated so they covered almost all of his iris, his head was tilted to the side and his mouth was slightly agape. It looked as if he was going insane from whatever her blood had already done to him.   
She could still feel the web of magical words around her, meaning that the ritual was still not finished.   
And something was clearly wrong.   
  
“Shiro..?” she tried quietly, too afraid to break the spell.

 

He did not react, but she felt his breathing getting heavier and heavier as if he was running uphill. Even in the faint moonlight she saw his fangs glistering with venom as his nails dug into her arm he was still holding onto.   
She called for him again and again, more and more desperation leaking through as she tried to reach him.   
Still, he just held onto her.   
And it started to hurt.   
  
“What had my blood done to you..?” she whispered as she looked down to the blade she was still holding.   
  
On the shining metal her own blood had been mixed with his - a microsmos of what they had done just now. But why only him? Why was it only one way?   
[Y/N] did not know why but she needed to know.   
Without hesitation she turned her arm so she could make a tiny cut into one of Shiro’s fingers and let the blood fall onto her own wound.   
  
One…   
Two…

Three…   
  
Careful to stop right there she moved her arm again, watching as the red drops slowly diminished into her own body.   
Then she waited.   
And waited some more.   
But nothing changed. Nothing happened.   
Looking up she could only wait until this was over.   
And then the world exploded.   
  
  
  
When she was able to feel again, the first thing that came back to her was her pounding head and the nauseous feeling it brought. Next were her limbs that felt numb, and her torso as if she’d managed to get in a fistfight. There seemed to be not a single part of her body or mind that wasn’t hurting.

Her thoughts were swimming, nothing stayed long enough in her conscious so she would be able to make head or tails out of her situation. Breathing deeply – the expansion causing her chest to scream in pain – she tried to remember the last image before everything had gone dark.   
  
The mansion… The sky… The clearing… The knife…   
The ritual!   
  
She opened her eyes at once, trying to sit up straight, ignoring the pain shooting up and down her spine. Shiro’s hollow eyes were dancing in front of her as she scanned her surroundings, her heart racing. It was darker than she remembered, the moon had started to sink, meaning a new day would arrive soon – and she needed to find him and bring him home.   
Still, her blurred vision made it impossible to make out any distinct shapes in the dark.   
  
“Shiro..?” she whispered, too afraid of her own voice.   
  
What if the ritual had gone wrong and turned him into a real monster?   
Fear took hold of her heart, a dark claw threatening to break it. To crush it to a million pieces. For the very first time since she met him, she really feared to lose him.   
  
How did this never cross her mind until now?   
  
Even when she helped him to get rid of his arm, preventing the silver-induced wound to creep all over his body, there was no room in her mind of anything going wrong. When Shiro had stormed out after their first shared meal, she never once thought that someone would come after him.   
Yet, as she was frantically looking around, trying her best to shake this blurry vision, she was slowly starting to suffocate, as if her lungs were being filled up with water. Something had gone wrong… Something wasn’t right.   
The sheer thought of being left behind and alone or, worse yet, to leave Shiro alone, just made her hands feel numb.   
  
“I need to find him…”, even those five words hurt her throat, setting it ablaze.   
  
Despite her throbbing head, the girl started to get up to a standing position, cursing under her breath that the trees were just too far away to help her stabilize herself. Taking a few steps – basically more of a falling forward and standing up again than walking – she dragged herself to the centre of the clearing and looked around.   
  
Nothing.   
  
There was no sign that anyone else besides her was close by.   
Inhaling the clear air she tried to distinguish the faint traces of life. There seemed to be a small group of deer not too far away, and she was pretty certain that humans came through here hours ago.   
  
Suddenly, she froze over.   
  
What did she just concluded by simply breathing? What part of her brain had been damaged by the ritual? Smelling that humans walked across the grass?   
She must’ve lost it.   
  
“You’re gone for a moment and I am already going crazy…”, the breeze carried her words into the woods.   
  
The trees answered with a faint whisper, a promise. It faintly sounded like those magic words, Shiro had whispered to forge their bond.   
Looking down, [Y/N] let her gaze rest on the perfectly shaped star on her forearm. Absent-mindedly she touched the red shape, gently tracing the fine lines.   
  
“You promised me the night… but all I got was the dark…”, she ignored the pain in her throat as tears started to prickle her eyes. “I don’t care for the stars or the moon and I certainly do not care about the world… What good is it if you’re not here for me to see it through your eyes?”   
  
And just like that, she felt her heart shatter.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dearest reader, I hope this chapter finds you well and you had a relaxing weekend?  
> Next week we will run straight through to the finale, can you believe it?! I will also re-upload the second part of this story on Monday within the already existing story (aka I will replace it). If you’ve already read it, there’s no need for you to go over there, even though I’ve changed some things, added a few snippets and expanded the ending so it’s rather different there. But the overall story hasn’t changed. Still, I would love to hear what you have to say!
> 
> As always, stay rad and I will see you again in a week <3


	6. Premonition

Shiro had been the first to reopen his eyes after the ritual had knocked them both out. The moment her blood had touched his own, started to merge with his organism, he was only able to watch as his body started to go still, locking his mind out. There was nothing he could do but look at them both as if he was in one of those weird dreams.   
He had read about this, but he couldn’t remember of stumbling across the recollection of such a profound reaction.   
  
It hurt him to watch [Y/N] all alone, panic in her beautiful eyes the moment she realized that Shiro wasn’t responding anymore. He wanted to touch her, to tell her that everything would be alright, despite the agonizing pain her blood caused him. Even in this weird state he was in - his body trying to protect his mind - he could feel just how painful this had become. It still penetrated his mind, blurring his thoughts, making it almost impossible to keep his instincts in check. To keep even remotely in control.   
The vampire watched in horror at his own lips curling up in a snarl, his fangs ready to strike.   
  
This was bad. It should be over by now.   
What was going on?   
What did they miss?   
  
As if the situation wasn’t dire enough, the girl went ahead to reverse the ritual - to merge Shiro’s blood with her own. They had no idea what this would do, but vampire blood was able to turn humans into one of them after all - something he never wished for her to become.   
  
“No! Don’t..!” he screamed, but not a single sound left his lips.   
  
Of course not, he was locked into his own mind. Numbness took a hold of him as he saw his own blood dropped on the reopened wound, her eyes locked with his as if to beg him to come back to her.   
  
Nothing happened and yet she waited, her gaze lifted to the stars above. Her beautiful features contracted in the pain his claw induced by gripping onto her harder and harder. Shiro watched as fine red lines traced her arm.   
The dark silence was broken when [Y/N] let out a muffled cry and fell to the ground at once. Like a ragdoll being tossed aside.   
  
Even in his confused state of mind, Shiro felt her heart-rate weaken, her breath getting shallower. He just didn’t understand what happened, but he needed to get to her. Even if it meant that the spell would be broken and they would not have their blood bound. They would find another way.   
Right now he had to find a way back to his body, to regain control over it.   
And then, just as he had begun to work through the fog his own mind had become, panic gripping at his heart, he lost consciousness.   
  
As he looked around the clearing and up into the sky, he tried to assess how much time had passed and was shocked to realize that the sun would rise in just a couple of hours. Feeling a movement next to him, his eyes traced over [Y/N]’s tender figure, lying next to him on the grass, her face finally free from all the pain and agony.   
Inhaling deeply, Shiro realized three things at once.   
  
Firstly, her heart-rate and breathing had gone back to normal, meaning that there was no imminent danger.   
Secondly, while her blood was still singing to him, trying to lure him in, it felt a lot easier to be this close without being afraid to lose it. This meant that the ritual had been a success. Still, there was no time to celebrate yet...   
  
Thirdly, they were not alone.   
  
Without missing a beat, the vampire got up and followed his nose right into the forest. There was no way that an unknown entity would walk around his territory - much less so if it might pose danger to [Y/N]. As he walked away from her, he felt their connection almost instantly, giving him the confidence to move on. After all, he would be back soon.   
  
He should’ve felt weakened by the ritual, but instead Shiro felt more alive than he ever had. His senses were sharpened to perfection, the trail he was following almost visible in the barely lit forest.   
Whoever had watched them, Shiro would track him down.   
  
  
  
The girl sat on the porch in front of the little church, still not able to decide whether to look for Shiro in the forest or to wait for him on the clearing.   
Time was clearly working against them. She needed to find him, no matter what. Even if he had really turned into a rampaging monster she needed to bring him home. And if someone had captured him she may needed to save him.   
But how would she ever be able to go on about it? She was just a mere human. The forest was vast and she had a rather bad sense of orientation…   
Looking down at the wound, still throbbing, a thought crossed her mind.   
  
_ Are you even human anymore? _   
  
Biting her lower lip she tried to wave this though aside. To ignore the myriad of scents she was able to distinguish, sounds she was able to place with scary precision.   
This was all just her mind playing tricks on her in a desperate attempt to find a solution.   
Her chest still hurt, her heart felt as if it would give out at any moment, barely able to sustain her. Maybe it was the sheer thought of Shiro being… Shiro that prevented her from giving up completely.   
  
He was as strong as he was gentle. He was a vampire. Surely he would be able to find his way back to her, right?   
That only left the question why he would leave in the first place. He never went away without telling her.   
  
“What if he didn’t leave on his own terms… What if he was forced..?” [Y/N] mumbled before her ears picked up a rustling, causing her to jump to her feet.   
  
Her head was filled with the images of Dr. Wolf. What if he had been waiting all this time for them to make a mistake to carry out his mission to kill Shiro? To finish what he had started? Maybe even to punish her for interfering with his plan?   
Chills covered her body as she silently waited for anything to happen. There was a weird scent in the air, one she wasn’t able to place. And it was getting stronger.   
  
The girl swallowed hard as she descended down the stairs and walked a few feet towards the continuous rustling. Maybe this was a stupid idea, but then again, if it was headed towards her anyway, why not welcome them properly?   
As if the creature was able to read her mind, the noise stopped at once and silence filled the clearing.   
  
The breeze made her shiver, not only because it was cold against her skin, but it also carried the faintest trace of blood with it.   
_ Vampire blood. _   
  
“I know that you are there. Show yourself!” her voice was way steadier than she really felt.   
  
At first, nothing happened, so she repeated her demand, slowly questioning her own sanity. Maybe it was just the wind after all?   
Finally, after what felt like forever, a slender figure appeared out of the shadows and slowly walked towards her. It had become rather dark, but when the creature stopped just a few feet away from her, she was able to see it perfectly.   
See  _ him _ perfectly.   
  
It was a boy, a bit taller than her, with a lean frame, dark hair and amethyst eyes. What made her gasp however was the set of cat-like ears and the tail that moved to and fro.   
  
“A werecat…” she whispered under her breath, her body and face relaxing immediately.   
  
She had briefly read about them. They belonged to the same fraction as the werewolf and shared as much as cats and dogs. While the werewolf was known for its brute behaviour in times of the change, werecats were in control of their instincts at all times. They never underwent changes caused by the moon and were generally known to be the least trusting of the monsters. They had survived as long as they did because of it. Yet, just like cats, they heavily relied on their instincts and their almost perfect sense of smell.   
[Y/N] remembered that werecats belonged to the strongest monsters but the sight of the boy in front of her posed no threat to her, she knew.   
  
The boy just looked at her curiously, “You know of us… He wasn’t lying.”   
  
“Who wasn’t?”   
  
“Keith, you know that I never lie”, an deep voice replied, amused, making both of them turn.   
  
Behind the werecat - Keith apparently - stood Shiro with a boyish smile on his lips, his eyes fixed on her face. The whole world zoomed in on them at that point, time froze. Just for a short second, they completely forgot everything around them.   
[Y/N] felt a tugging at her heart, so strong it actually made her break into a run, past Keith and into Shiro’s arms.   
Behind them she heard Keith huff and mumble something under his breath.   
  
“You’re an idiot…”, she murmured against Shiro’s chest as the tears started to fall.   
  
The vampire just responded with a low hum as he stroke her hair and quickly told her where he went.   
  
  
  
Shiro had followed the trail for half an hour before he arrived at another clearing, further north of the village. There was a small pond and a few bushes, but otherwise it was empty under the dark canvas.   
He wasn’t able to see anyone, but the scent just lingered around the area meaning, whoever he had been following was still around. Knowing perfectly well that time was against him, he quickly scanned the area. He had lost too much time already...   
  
Closing his eyes, Shiro concentrated on every last sound, every vibration the air carried. He had to find out who had been watching them, eliminating them if necessary. And he had to be quick about it. Otherwise [Y/N] would have his head because he made her worry.   
  
_ Come on, Shirogane, concentration! You can fantasize about her later! _   
  
Breathing deeply once more, he grew completely still, not missing a single movement. After just a few moments he heard a faint, muffled sound from the right, causing him to jump right into the direction. It resulted in a rather hard impact and a lot of curses on both parts.   
  
The vampire had tackled another creature right into the bushes, holding onto them, “Who are you?”   
  
“You don’t sound all that intimidating with all that greenery all over you…”, amusement thick in his voice, the creature replied, causing Shiro to groan.   
  
“Are you kidding me?! Keith!”   
  
Right there next to him, trying to get rid of the flowers and leafs, was the youngest descendant of the werecat-clan and one of his best friends: Keith Kogane.   
  
“What are you doing here? Why did you let me chase you through the whole forest?” despite being relieved, Shiro was annoyed to have been lured away from [Y/N].   
  
The younger one did not answer straight away, instead he stood up and helped the vampire to follow his lead. He then went ahead and looked Shiro over, undoubtedly taking in the image of a ruffled vampire on top of all the scents he was carrying around.   
  
“There’s a rumor spreading in my clan, and I am pretty sure in all the other fractions as well. That you’ve taken in a human. There are the wildest guesses as to why this may or may not be true and to what end. Some even fear that you plan on breaking the treaty”, Keith sighed. “So my mother sent me to pass by your territory, to pay you a visit, if you will.”   
  
Shiro raised an eyebrow at that, “Krolia is doubting me?”   
  
“No. But Kolivan is. And as her adviser he could easily influence the higher-ups… She wanted to prevent this.”   
  
The vampire closed his eyes for a moment.   
This whole situation had spiraled into so much more. It had all started with a human girl saving his life. And as it stood now, he had to defend her and his own honor because someone decided to spread rumors. What was more, he may had to come up with a plan to prevent an outbreak in the whole world of monsters which could easily influence the world of light as well.   
What a mess.   
  
“That still does not explain why you ran away from me.”   
  
Keith tilted his head to one side, flicking his ears, “Have you ever seen yourself when you’re hunting? You’re downright scary! And from the look on your face the moment you became aware of my presence… Let’s say, I’ve never seen you so ready to strike.”   
  
“I am sorry, Keith. I didn’t mean to scare you…”, Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. “Still… I have to return to her. I can’t leave her alone. There’s someone who I bet is only waiting for the moment to strike...”   
  
“Alright. But only if you let me go with you. I may have a question or two”, Keith replied sheepishly. “And I want to see that human of yours. She seems interesting…”   
  
  
  
As the two monsters quickly made their way back to the clearing, Shiro told Keith everything from start to finish, only being interrupted when the werecat needed more details. Apart from that, the younger one listened intently, his face unmoved.   
Shiro stopped a few hundred feet away from the clearing, looking towards it. He was already able to feel his blood responding to hers.   
  
“I can’t believe that you were saved by a human after being trapped and almost killed by another one. And now you’ve fallen for her… so much that you bound yourself to her”, Keith wore a soft expression, the happiness for his best friend clearly showing.   
  
Shiro just nodded, “I just still don’t understand why my reaction was so… crazy.”   
  
“I think you forgot one small detail”, the werecat’s ears twitched in anticipation. “She has the faintest trace of vampire blood in her. This may have resonated with yours. My best guess would be that you performed the ritual between vampires. Especially since she got your blood into her system as well…”   
  
The vampire could only gape at his friend who looked away, seemingly following his nose. He must be able to smell her already, his eyes growing bigger, his tail moving eagerly.   
  
“How come I never thought about this?!”   
  
This made Keith jump a little, before he chuckled, “I guess there were other things to take care of. There might be even more to it, though…”   
  
There was no need for him to continue this train of thought as Shiro had already arrived at the conclusion himself. A big smile appeared on his face as he gestured Keith that they needed to get going. The vampire just couldn’t wait any longer.   
However, Keith insisted that he would go first, checking out her reaction and to see if it matched the scent he had picked up.   
  
  
  
The moment Keith stepped up in front of her, her expression changing from fear to soft curiosity made his tail curl up. She was just as Shiro had described her, her scent only a vague description of her soul. There was something that immediately drew Keith in. He could now understand why Shiro had such a hard time to resist her - even to him, who had no interest in drinking blood, she smelled divine. Still, this was not what made Keith’s skin prickle. It was the underlying warmth she carried around, an openness he had barely encountered before.   
While his head told him everything about how bad humans were, his instincts told him that she was different.   
  
Keith knew humans. His own family lived close to one of the bigger cities in the area, mingling with the crowd from time to time. They were always warmly welcomed, the relationship between his clan and the humans flourishing. They’ve been assigned a few settlements as well, just as every fraction. Werecats were well-known for their fighting abilities which showed in their towns outline and infrastructure as well. They were mostly fortified ports or close to dangerous territory. And while Keith enjoyed it there, he became aware of the similarities between werecats and humans.   
They all loved war.   
  
There was nothing wrong with being able to fight and protect what you loved, but he never understood why humans seemed to be so fond of fighting for non-existing reasons. This characteristic was one of the driving forces for the war between the worlds and the treaty, that forced them apart. When he was younger he had wondered, why such a strict line between the realm of monsters and the realm of humans was still necessary but as he grew up,Keith watched humans and monsters alike, and never saw them change. So maybe this was how it would be for all eternity.   
  
But when Shiro placed a gentle kiss on the girl’s forehead and she looked up at him with eyes full of stars, he felt a small spark of hope in his heart, giving way to a faint smile on his lips.   
  
  
  
Since their time was running out, the small group quickly decided to make haste and spend the following day in the mansion, before Keith would head back home. This gave the girl and the werecat a bit of time to get to know each other. Shiro watched as both of them hit it off right away, [Y/N] seemingly not afraid of the beast whatsoever. She even went ahead and started stroking his head and ears, causing Keith to close his eyes.   
The three of them were tired but still too agitated to head off to bed straight away. Instead they decided to spend some time in the living room even if it was mostly passed in silence.   
  
As they were sitting on the couch, Shiro noticed a blade dangling from Keith’s belt that looked somewhat familiar, “Where did you find this?”   
  
It took a moment for the werecat to register that he had been spoken too - [Y/N] even had to stop stroking his head - before he moved to unfasten the knife and held it up for all of them to see, “I’ve found it on the clearing with the church a few nights back. It’s what lead me to believe that you might show up there again.”   
  
Keith followed Shiro’s warm gaze, resting on the girl’s face.   
It was [Y/N]’s knife. The one she had thrown at Dr. Wolf in an attempt to escape him. She took it with shaking hands, holding it close to her chest. To her, it was as if everything had come full circle.   
  


“Thank you, Keith."


	7. The Bridge (Epilogue)

The sun was about to rise, a fine line of pink already visible on the horizon. The graveyard was empty, a fresh breeze carrying the first hints of autumn with it. Two figures moved silently between the tombstones, arriving at the last ones right below a big tree, still carrying its leafs.   
  
“They sure got a wonderful resting place…”, Shiro mumbled, his hands locked with [Y/N]’s.   
  
She just hummed, her eyes gliding over her parent’s names. Their bodies might not walk the earth anymore, but she would never forget their love and warmth. And just like she would come home after a day running errands in the village, she began to tell them what she’d been up to since that fateful night under the full moon.   
  
How she found out that vampires were not scary but could be as easily flattered as humans. How her best friend turned out to be a werecat. How the ritual - and her own tempering with it - had caused her vampire-part to come through and made it possible for her to smell and hear almost as good as Shiro.   
  
“Do you want to tell them about the first time we spilled your blood?” Shiro grinned at her mischievously, marvelling in her cheeks heating up by the embarrassment.   
  
“No! Would you tell your parents?!” this only made the vampire laugh harder and draw her in close.   
  
For a moment, both seemed to be lost in thought, remembering the night a few weeks ago when they sat on the balcony, looking up into the sky. Shiro had made a habit out of questioning her on his most recent lectures. She had insisted on learning as much as possible to not embarrass him at any point. This had become especially evident when the invitation to the annual Samhain ball in the castle of lions arrived the night before. It would be her first encounter with the different fractions of the monster world - and her first test.   
  
“Do you remember what we’ve read about the characteristics of certain types of blood?” he looked up from his papers, mirroring her own motions.   
  
Her eyes quickly scanned her own notes, before she dropped them onto her lap, obviously not able to find anything in her writings, “Well… The blood of a mermaid makes the recipient beautiful and sometimes even able to breathe underwater. The blood of a werewolf is harmless, as long as it’s not received during a full moon. In those nights it turns you into one yourself.”   
  
Looking for clues in Shiro’s patient gaze, she fidgeted in her seat. It’s always been hard to keep calm around him, but since the ritual it was even worse. She could hear his blood singing to her - much like he had described his own experience - and every last fibre of her wanted to be as close as possible. And Shiro knew as much, sometimes teasing her a bit, only to be repaid by her turning the tables on him. Of course, he wasn’t immune either.   
While it was true that his thirst had become manageable, the thought of her blood made it hard for him to keep it cool.   
The talk of all these types of blood that night didn’t make it any easier.   
  
“What about humans?” he cleared his throat, trying to remain composed.   
  
“Humans, while believing that certain types of blood gives them character-traits, don’t possess anything which would be passed on if you’d receive the blood. It just… tastes differently?” her voice had grown more and more quiet until she looked up at him shyly.   
  
“Oh, I know one human who has the most delicious blood!”   
  
“How do you know if you’d never tasted it?”   
  
Both remained silent at her last remark. They’ve been beating around the bushes for a while now. And Shiro still refused to drink her blood.   
  
Since he didn’t want to dwell on that topic for too long, the vampire asked, “What about unicorn blood?”   
  
“It’s said that it makes the recipient almost immortal. Depending on the purity of the unicorn and the amount. I think I’ve read one chapter on a man who lived for hundreds of years”, she took his bait with a heavy sigh.   
  
Shiro nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his lips, “And do you know what vampire blood is supposed to do?”   
  
This took her by surprise. She quickly looked through her papers again but came up empty. They did not talk about that, and she couldn’t remember reading anything on that account. Humans never thought about vampire blood as something to acquire powers from, unlike all the other creatures they’d just discussed. And from what she’d read, it was never mentioned that there really was anything coming along once the blood entered a foreign bloodstream. Even for a human to be turned into a vampire it needed the venom along the blood...   
Sure, among vampires it was considered a delicacy to drink each other’s blood - a very intimate thing to do. But who else would ever attempt to kill a vampire and drink its blood?   
  
Shiro patiently waited as he watched [Y/N] deep in thought. He deliberately left out that one paragraph he’d prepared. He had planned their lessons so it would fit just perfectly. He wanted tonight to be special. To be the beginning of something more.   
  
“I’m afraid I can’t answer your question…”, she looked defeated, as if she’d embarrassed him.   
  
Without missing a beat, Shiro got up and gestured her to follow him to the balcony, overlooking the forest behind the mansion. Her eyes, while trusting, showed how confused she was by the turn of events. The vampire didn’t say a word when he gently took her hand and rolled the sleeve of her shirt back to reveal the star.   
  
“It’s said that vampire blood is very potent. Just like vampires are supposed to be the strongest monsters in the realm of the night, their blood is on par with those of a unicorn”, Shiro whispered, not trusting his voice anymore.   
  
This was important. He couldn’t risk to mess this up.   
  
“What do you mean,  _ it’s on par _ ?” [Y/N] looked at him as if she slowly started to realize where he was going with this.   
  
Gently stroking her cheek he replied, “While unicorn blood makes the recipient immortal, vampire blood will prolong their lifespan a hundredfold.”   
  
One second passed.   
Two...   
Three....   
Before her mouth dropped open and the realization hit her full force.   
  
Three drops of blood.   
Shiro’s blood.   
Vampire blood.   
  
“I have… a hundred years with you?” her voice was shaking.   
  
“Not quite”, Shiro couldn’t hide his own excitement any longer. “I’d say we have at least 600 if you want to live fast and die young?”   
  
There were no words for either of them to express how they felt. She would grow old and eventually die, but the process had been slowed down tremendously by her violation of the ritual. While his blood would not make her immune to injuries, it would give them a lot of time together.   
  
Still, the vampire wasn’t finished yet.   
  
He tenderly traced the line of her lips, all the way down her chin, until it rested on the side of her neck. There he felt her pulse quicken, her breathing to slowly catch in her throat. Her eyes never left his face, a dreamlike haze whirling within them.   
It was hard to play it cool, it really was.   
  
As slowly as he could, he leaned into a kiss, his hand caressing her cheek, pulling her closer. Every time they kissed, it felt more and more intimate, always leaving him craving more. Eventually they would break the spell, their hearts racing.   
That night, however, he broke the kiss early, a small whimper leaving her lips, making it hard to not give in again. Instead, he placed a trace of the most gentle kisses along her jaw and down her throat, exactly where his finger had rested moments earlier.   
  
“I vowed to make you the queen of the night if you’d stay with me”, his voice was hoarse, emotions welling up inside of him. “And since you kept your end of the promise, I will keep mine.”   
  
He traced her neck with his lips, getting drunk on her reactions already; her small gasps, the shivers running up and down her spine, that rushing blood…   
  
“You know… If I drink your blood tonight, there’s no escape from me... You’d be mine… utterly and completely…”   
  
“Yes…”, she breathed, all her love, devotion and desire in one word.   
  
And with that, he sunk his teeth into her perfect skin.   
  
Shiro had dreamed about this since they had first met. And he had had all kinds of blood in his lifetime. But nothing could even remotely compare to this.   
It wasn’t only the sheer taste, the flavour and texture of her blood. It was as if he could reach her on a completely different level… It felt so close, so intimate.   
And hard to stop.   
  
How he was able to do it, was beyond him. But when he came back to himself, his breath ragged, he looked into her eyes - those endless galaxies - and he knew that this was really just the beginning.   
  
  
  
“You never once told me how it had felt for you”, Shiro’s voice pulled her back into the present, the graveyard slowly gaining colors as the sun started to rise.   
  
Clearing her throat, a deep blush on her cheeks she replied, “Because you never asked.”   
  
“Alright… How does it feel when I drink your blood?”   
  
At first, she did not reply. Instead, she closed her eyes and lifted her chin, so she looked up when she reopened them. They had the same dreamlike shimmer they always got when they kissed or came otherwise undone.   
  
“It feels as if you’re touching me beyond my body. You are so close… I almost don’t want you to stop”, she turned her head to look at him.   
  
The first rays of sunshine broke through the big old tree, illuminating her figure in a way that took Shiro’s breath away. Closing the distance between them, he wrapped her in his arms again. Neither did move for quite some time, until the sunlight forced them to.   
  
  
  
“Are you sure about this?” he asked for the hundredth time.   
  
[Y/N] just nodded before they turned and slowly left the graveyard. It had been the first and last time she came here to visit her parents. Not because she didn’t needed them anymore, but because she could feel that they would be with her wherever she went. And while she had no idea where that path might lead, she knew that she would never be alone again.   
  
As the two figures grew smaller and smaller, their hands firmly locked, the sun slowly crept across the sky, bringing a new day, illuminating the graveyard. And if one looked closely, they would see that between all those flowers on the last two graves, there was a blade, stuck into the earth.   
A promise to those before them.   
A vow to those to come.   
A bridge between worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearest Reader, I am so happy to meet you here at the ending of this little story that is some 20k words longer than I had anticipated...  
> My hope was for you to enjoy this little drabble I had a lot of fun putting together. I mean, who doesn't love werecat Keith?? And Vampire Shiro?!  
> *faints*
> 
> I guess everyone figured by now that this is a prequel to the story I wrote for Halloween. Now, I uploaded an edited version yesterday, which you can check out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479497F)  
> . I would love your feedback - especially since I was thinking about a third part? The pursue of Dr.Wolf? Would anyone be interested in that?  
> Let me know!  
> Be it here or over on my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/justhinothings)  
> .  
> I'd LOVE to hear from you!
> 
> Have a wonderful day and stay as awesome as you are! <3


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